Soul Destruction: Metempsychosis
by Bayleef
Summary: While searching for Yujhi in the Shadow Realm, Yugi learns a disturbing secret about the Millennium Puzzles presents state. Ryoura's nightmares are brought crashing to reality and a mysterious 'lost soul' is after one of their lives...Rated for violence..
1. Prologue

Hey everybody! Yup, tis the third and FINAL story of the **Soul Destruction** series! Are you not all relieved? I think so!  
Look at the pretty title! ... Ok, it ain't pretty, but it's different! Was trying to figure out a name for it and just found that word at random. Weird, but it's interesting. And YES, it has a reason for being called this.  
Well... sense you guys are gonna guess the story-line it won't be so creepy... but meh, we'll see

Hope yaz enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 

"This is talking"  
_'These are thoughts'_

** Prologue **

"Thank you sir." the receptionist nodded in thanks as Yugi handed her a credit card. She scanned it through the machine and handed it back, along with two other white cards. "Now, here are your card-keys. You rooms are on the second floor, rooms 34 and 35."

"Thank you." Yugi smiled forcefully, taking the cards back and handing one of the white one's to the two standing next to him. Ryoura was quick to grab it, just before Bakura did.

"We gotta share huh?" Ryoura said, examining the card. Smiling, he put on what he liked to call a 'posh accent', "Peppah darling, we look like a queer couple."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "They're the only two rooms left in the hotel, we don't have a choice. And there better be two beds!" he directed his last statement at the receptionist.

The receptionist smiled, "Um, yes sir."

"Good," Bakura nodded, picked his bag up off the floor and slinging it over his shoulder.

Ryoura put on a childish pout, accompanied with a shivering, childish voice, "B-but Pepper, wh-what if I have a night-may-er..."

Bakura took a step away from Ryoura and raised an eyebrow, "Ok, there's something really wrong with you..."

Yugi remained silent, returning to his sullen state after receiving the key-cards. Leaning his arms on the windowsill, he stared blankly out the window. He watched the sun setting on the sandy horizon of Egypt; the origin of the Millennium Items and closest place on earth to the Shadow Realm. If Yugi was to find a way to save his hikari from the eternal shadows, this was the only place to get answers.

"But I'm a-scared o' da dark!" Ryoura whined as he clung to Bakura's arm, the yami trying desperately to pull himself away from his over-dramatic lighter side. Ryoura giggled as Bakura tore his arm away, storming towards the stairs to get away from him. Still smiling, he looked over at Yugi, who hadn't moved from his spot on the windowsill. _"Poor guy..."_ he frowned, _"I wish he'd stop beating himself up."_ Shaking his head, he set off after Bakura.

Yugi sighed heavily, resting his chin in the palm of his hand as he watched the sun begin to sink below the horizon. The receptionist cleared away a few papers and the last few people in the lounge either headed to their rooms or the dining area, leaving Yugi alone with his thoughts. He shut his eyes slowly, resting his tired mind slightly. As the sun lowered, his shadow grew longer behind him; a narrow, black image of his form.

But then that image changed shape, moving it's arms out, form growing more pointed and causing it's hands to resemble claws. The empty room grew darker as the last rays of sunlight disappeared, but the shadow remained unchanged, it's dark form wavering like black flames. The shadow shortened to a human height, then floated from the ground like a ghost, gaining a slightly transparent, black form. Clawed hands flexed lightly as they reached out towards Yugi's shoulders, the black ghost floating slightly behind the unsuspecting boy.

"Yugi!"

The black creature turned it's head to see the source of the voice as it quickly faded, hissing angrily as it dissolved.

"Wha?" Yugi's eyes snapped open and he turned around. Ryoura stood at the other side of the room, looking shaken. "Ryoura?" Yugi tilted his head slightly when the boy didn't respond. He started walking across the room. "Ryoura, are you ok?"

"What?" Ryoura seemed in disbelief. "Di... Didn't you see it?"

"See what?" Yugi asked, genuinely confused.

"That giant shadow!" Ryoura yelled, pointing towards the window Yugi had been standing by. "There was this huge shadow floating right behind you! ... I swear!" he added when he saw Yugi's suspicious expression.

Yugi raised an eyebrow when he realised Ryoura was serious, then smiled and shook his head. "It's just your mind playing tricks on you. It might have been the lighting in the room, but it's probably from being out in the sun to long."

"But-"

"Ryoura," Yugi interrupted, smiling reassuringly. "There was nothing there. Don't worry."

"Well..." Ryoura looked down doubtfully at first, but slowly he seemed convinced. "Ya. Guess I'm just not used to the heat."

"And to many horror movies." Yugi added as he walked past the teen. "We better get some sleep, we've got a lot more researching to do tomorrow."

"When you saw 'researching', you mean 'exploring', don't you?" Ryoura asked. Yugi looked back and smiled, causing Ryoura to whine, "Aww! Like I haven't baked enough already!"

Yugi chuckled lightly as he stepped into an open elevator. "Goodnight Ryoura."

Ryoura's smile vanished as soon as the elevator door shut, blocking Yugi from sight. _"Was I really imagining things?"_ he wondered, turning and walking back to the window. He looked around the window frame and the floor and walls around it. Nothing. After a minute or two more, Ryoura scoffed and waved his hand dismissively. _"I'm turning into Pepper! I worry to much!"_ he turned around and darted back towards the elevator. _"Better get some sleep, gonna get cooked tomorrow!"_

From outside the window a black, ghostly figure faded into view, eyes locked on Ryoura until his disappeared from sight. The ghost narrowed it's non-existing eyes, it's form still impossible to identify, only appearing as a black, wavering shadow. The creature drifted slowly upwards and began drifting past the windows, scanning each room for one lone soul.

Through the darkness of the night the creature blended so well with, one name escaped it's lips in a low hiss...

"Yugi..." 

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

Oooo... shadow thing! Whacha think? Hope anyone who read it liked it! Loved Ryoura's part at the start. Man I've missed him! -glomp-  
I have the next chappy done but you're just gonna hafta wait a while before I put it up, kk?  
Welp, hope you don't mind leavin' me a review. Me's loves reviews, yupyup! Tog go bog é!  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef  



	2. Lost Souls

Tis long O.o;

Heyhey! first chappy up! Yay! Sorry for the wait, but enjoy all the same! Thankies reviewers! -glomp-

Don't expect the next up for a while, this one was being written for weeks. I know, sad isn't it? but I've got my juniour cert coming up and my mom wants me to do well, so I've try an' force myself to work... Welp, whacha gonna do? Ignore me blabbing about me life and enjoy the chappy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 

"This is talking"  
_'These are thoughts'_

** Chapter One - Lost Souls **

Yugi sighed heavily as he fell back on his bed, arms spread out beside him as he stared at the ceiling. Another long day and another unsuccessful search. It had been at least two months since he and the Bakuras had come to Egypt, but they hadn't found anything new or useful that could help them find Yujhi. Though the Shadow Games were mainly set in southeastern Egypt, they'd searched most of the northern region in case they could find any helpful information. So far they'd found nothing more then empty tombs and stories of the Kings who ruled in the north; nothing about the Shadow Realm or Yami's reign as Pharaoh.

It was quite stressful on the spirit of the Puzzle, especially since he blamed himself for Yujhi's misfortune. He knew the young boys soul was in the Shadow Realm, so Yugi could have easily travelled back and forth between realms. Unfortunately the Shadow Realm has multiple dimensions, and each soul is located at a different section of each dimension; it would have been impossible if they'd taken that approach.

Luckily for Yugi, Bakura, who was somewhat an expert of the Shadow Real having sent people there and been there himself many times, told him there was a narrow separation between this realm and the shadow realm somewhere in Egypt. From this, along with a special spell located somewhere in the same area, they could manipulate the Shadow Realm itself and bring forth one specific soul. He couldn't remember how it worked exactly, nor where it was because it had been ten thousand years since he, himself, had seen this place, so the search was widespread.

Kicking his shoes off Yugi let his tired eyes slide shut, a heavy sigh escaping him. _"Better get some sleep..."_ he thought, rolling over onto his side and pulling down his pillow to rest his head on. Hugging the pillow slightly he allowed his mind to wander to the Millennium Puzzle, the core of his life and existence. It had felt different since that day he returned from his memories and found Yujhi gone, as if another power had awakened. It also had created a new mystery; how had Yujhi's monsters lasted in the Shadow Realm without Yujhi there to contribute his energy?

Somehow, the Puzzle had acted on it's own accord. As if using back-up energy, it had lasted far longer then it should have, and could have lasted even longer had Yugi not arrived. As Yugi drifted to sleep his last thoughts were of the Puzzle and it's mysterious new power.

_"Once Yujhi is back I'll have to figure that out..._

* * *

"Ryoura what's been bugging you lately?"

"Huh?" Ryoura stopped towel-drying his hair and looked up at Bakura with a confused expression. "Whacha talking about Pep'?"

"Don't play dumb-"

"Trust me, I don't need to play dumb," Ryoura grinned, brushing some of his wet hair out of his eyes. He was sitting on his bed in the hotel room wearing normal denim jeans and a white t-shirt with the words 'Moving Target' in messy, black writing by the neck-line, red splattered across the middle. He liked this outfit, but Bakura knew as soon as his usual 'Rejected' outfit was clean these clothes would be sent back into Ryoura's bag.

Bakura sat on his own bed across from Ryoura, books and maps of Egypt scattered all over it, wearing blue denim jeans also and a pale grey shirt, his dark grey jacket discard to a chair by his bed. "Ryoura..." he breathed in annoyance, ignoring his comment. "I know something's bothering you, why won't you tell me?"

"Aww, is Pepper going soft again," Ryoura said in a taunting tone, but Bakura just glared at him. Ryoura crossed his arms across his chest and gave Bakura a critical look. "It's rude to stare."

Bakura folded his arms also and sat quietly, awaiting an answer from the younger boy. After a few minutes of silence, which Ryoura was not accustomed to, the younger of the two spun around and lay down, hanging his head over the side of the bed to look at Bakura upside down. "I think I've lost it."

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"No, I mean really lost it." Ryoura shut his eyes and sighed. "I keep seeing things..."

"Seeing thing?" Ryoura nodded. "What kind of things?"

"Shadows..." Ryoura muttered, opening his eyes and looking at Bakura. "Mostly around Yugi... I just see this black shadow floating near him sometimes, following him..."

Bakura shuffled slightly. He hadn't been expecting something like this. "What do the shadows look like?"

"It looks... kind of human, but at the same time it doesn't. Kinda like it's on fire..." Ryoura looked up and frowned at Bakura's expression. "You think I'm crazy... don't you?"

"No, not necessarily..." Bakura mutter, closing his eyes.

"So you believe me?" Ryoura asked, shocked.

Bakura nodded. "It sounds like a lost soul to me."

"What's that?"

"Well... it's hard to explain; not all lost souls are the same. It's usually someone, or part of someone, who is trapped on earth for some reason; maybe bound by a person or item, though they can have only very little influence on any living being unless they have a very strong soul. Most are souls of those who refuse to accept they've died, or don't understand." Bakura looked up to the ceiling and narrowed his eyes. "That's why many lost souls are children... it's harder for a child to understand death..."

Ryoura shuddered at the thought of the souls of children stuck on earth until they accepted they were dead. "Well the shadow I saw was definately not a child. I only get glimpses of it, but it looks tall enough."

"But why would it be following Yugi?" Bakura asked, more to himself then Ryoura.

Ryoura sat up and bit his lip. "Um... Pepper?"

"Mm?"

"Why am I the only one that sees it?"

Bakura narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment, then answered, "It is unusual that neither Yugi or I have seen it... maybe it's conceiling itself from us. As magic users we can perform rituals to get rid of it."

Ryoura didn't look convinced. "But I can use magic too."

"You're not as much of a threat as we are, it may not be as worried about you seeing it." Bakura shrugged. "This is a very dangerous situation..."

Ryoura tilted his head. "Why?"

"Because a lost soul can be very manipulative and dangerous. We cannot see them nor fight them, but lost souls can see further into a person then you could ever imagine. Just be looking at you they can see everything about you; your personality, every weakness, every fear." he stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the moon. "I should know... I've been followed by one before."

"Really?" Ryoura breathed in shock.

Bakura glanced back at Ryoura and sighed. "Someone I'd killed back in Egypt came back for revenge, haunted my dreams with memories for weeks until I figured out what was going on. Luckily I was able to force his soul to move on with my magic, but it wasn't an experience I quickly forgot."

"Sorry..." Ryoura apologised. He knew Bakura's nightmares must have been centred around his parents death, that was his most tromitising memory he had and Ryoura knew how painful it was to see your parent killed.

"Don't be." the tomb-robber said simply, eyes locked on the glowing moon in the sky as memories of those nightmares raced through his mind.

"I'm going to bed..." Ryoura said after a few minutes of silence, and Bakura merely grunted in response. Lying down Ryoura turned his back to Bakura, mind racing with the information he had just recieved, he wouldn't sleep for hours. Glancing back Ryoura frowned at the tomb-robber, who's eyes were shining with tears. _"Sorry for bringing back those memories Bakura..."_ he thought, staring at the wall in front of him.

Bakura rubbed his hands over his eyes before the tears could fall and swallowed hard to rid himself of the lump forming in his throat. Revisiting those memories mere months before had opened up some long-healed wounds in the tomb-robber, and made him more protective then ever of the only family he had now; Ryoura. _"I couldn't save my parents... they died because I could do nothing to stop it."_ he looked back and Ryoura and narrowed his eyes in determination. _"Never again..."_

* * *

A cold wind blew in open window of Yugi's hotel room, brushing over the boys bare arms and causing him to shiver in his sleep. Yugi had decided to leave the window open as it was far to warm inside his hotel room, and had fallen asleep in his usual attire; a blue shirt and brown pants, his white vest he had dropped on the floor next to him before dozing off.

Yugi groaned and turned his back to the window as another breeze ran over him, though he remained asleep. As he slept, and dreamt, the dark shadow appeared outside, drifting into Yugi's room and landing softly on the ground just inside the window.

"Yugi..."

* * *

_Dream_

* * *

An evil chuckle echoed around him and Yugi shut his eyes tight, tears streaming down his face and body shaking with fear. He could feel something slithering of the floor around his ankles and wrists, but he couldn't move out of fear. "Please... no... not again..." he whimpered, more cords wrapping around his wrists. He tried to prevent this by hugging by burying his fists under his arms, but it didn't seem to make a difference. This was the very same feeling he had when Yami Marik had made him part of his twisted Shadow Game in the final battle between him and Yami in the Battle City finals.

Yugi's arms were pulled up by his sides and his body lifted of the floor, manacles of black magic wrapped around his wrists and ankles. Opening his eyes Yugi blinked them free of tears, gasping at the sight before him. There stood Yami Marik, grinning as Yugi struggled to break the bonds restraining him.

"Pathetic light..." Yami Marik chuckled, taking a step towards Yugi. This only made the boy struggle harder. "You're nothing but a vessel for the Pharaoh, child. You can't handle the power of the Millennium Items and you never will..." he reached has hand behind his back and lifted the Millennium Rod from his belt. Bringing it out in front of him he took off the cover, revealing a shining golden blade in place of the handle.

Yugi's eyes grew wide and he struggling against the black ropes holding onto him. As he did, anoher person appeared to his left; Bakura. It was not the Bakura he had come to trust, but the sinister spirit that had tried numerous times to take his Puzzle. "You're powerles to defend yourself Yugi..." he hissed, smirking at the boys fear.

"No..." Yugi whispered, eyes darting from Yami Malik to Bakura, then to the third person to his right; Dartz. "Get away from me!" Yugi screamed when Dartz reached his hand into his pocket and withdrew a soul card, holding it up in front of Yugi. "I won't go back! You can't make me!"

All three villians laughed at his outburst. "I'd like to see you try and stop us..." Dartz chuckled, the soul card glowing brightly as all three advanced. Yugi shut his eyes tight and lowered his head. There was nothing he could do.

All of a sudden a blinding light engulfed the area, and the evil laughter that echoed around Yugi dissappeared. Opening his eyes, keeping them narrowed to avoid the bright light, Yugi peered around the now white room. There was no one to be seen. The bonds around his ankles and wrists turned a light golden colour, holding him up gentle rather then letting him hang painfully in the air. The golden magic lowered him to the floor and dissappeared, when he collapsed to him knees, trying to collect himself. "What... happened...?" he mumbled, opening his eyes now that the light had dimmed.

"Yugi, are you alright?"

Yugi jumped slightly and looked behind him, eyes growing wide. "Y-Yami?" he stuttered. Yami smiled warmly down at Yugi and knelt down on one knee beside him, placing his hand on Yugi's shoulder. He was wearing an all white attire; white sleeveless shirt, white pants and white shoes.

"It's alright Yugi..." he said soothingly, "You don't need to be afraid. It's just a dream."

"A... dream?" Yugi looked around him in surprise. "But... it felt so real..." he looked up at Yami and blinked, tears brimming in his eyes. "I'm a coward..." he whispered, gaze falling to the floor, ashamed of himself before his darker half. "I'm not like you Yami... I can't do this..."

"No Yugi." Yami shook his head lightly. "You're not me, but you're just as strong."

"No..." Yugi shook his head. "I can't handle this anymore... I'll never be able to save Yujhi and it's my fault he's gone in the first place... I'm a terrible guardian..." he tensed slightly when he felt Yami's arms wrap around him, then leaned his head on the taller boys chest. "I just... I can't do it..." he whispered, tears streaming down his face.

"Yugi, listen to me, you can save Yujhi and you _will_. You are much stronger then you give yourself credit for and I _believe_ in you." Yami whispered, hugging Yugi to himself in an attempt to comfort him. "You've done an amazing job so far as the guardian of the Millennium Puzzle, _and_ of Yujhi... I'm very proud of you."

Yugi opened his eyes and smiled softly. "You don't know how much that means to me..."

"Would it be too much to ask for a proper hug then?" Yami asked in an amused tone, raising an eyebrow. Yugi chuckled and wrapped his arms around Yami, freezing when his hands touched something soft. Yami chuckled at Yugi's confused expression. "Surprised?"

Yugi looked up at Yami and sat up, looking over Yami's shoulder. "Yami... are those...?"

Yami smiled and looked back, spreading the silvery-white wings on his back. Yugi's eyes grew wide at the sight of Yami's wings, his expression saddening. With his recent visits to his memories in his dreams, it still hadn't fully hit him all he past friends were gone, so this hit him like a ton of bricks. Bursting into tears he threw his arms around Yami's shoulders and hugged him, sobbing into the former-pharaoh's shoulders.

"Shh, it's ok..." Yami whispered, hugging his lighter half softly. They sat there in silence for a moment or two, before Yami let him go and placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders. Pushing the younger boy slightly he felt Yugi lossen his grip, then held him out at arms length in ront of him, smiling. "Yugi...?" he whispered.

Yugi looked up at Yami, his eyes shining with sorrow. "I'm pathetic arn't I?" hhe chocked out, looking down at the floor again.

"You think loving your brother is pathetic?" Yami raised an eyebrow, though his voice was still soft and understanding. Yugi looked up as if ready to apoligise but Yami shook his head. "I know exactly what you're going through Yugi, and I understand. It's difficult to accept someting like this..."

Yugi swallowed hard and nodded, not trusting his own voice.

Yami smiled and placed his hands on either side of Yug's face, thumbing away the tears streaming down his face. "You'll be alright Yugi, and Yujhi will be too. You'll see..."

"Yami?" Yugi looked up at his darker half, who was statring to rise to his feet and letting his hands slip away from Yugi. "Y-You're leaving?"

Yami reached down his hand and took Yugi's in his own, lifting the smaller boy to his feet. "Don't worry Yugi, we'll see eachother again." he ruffled Yugi's hair then frowned slightly, letting his hand sit on Yugi's head. "Be careful Yugi... there are dark forces at work..."

"Huh?" Yugi looked up at Yami, though his darker half was hiden behind some of the hair Yami had pushed down in front of Yugi's eyes. "What do you mean?"

Yami shut his eyes and let his hand slip down to the side of Yugi's face, then opened his eyes and looked at Yugi sadly. "I'm sorry, I cannot say... All I can say is... I'm sorry Yugi..."

"Yami!" Yugi took a step towards his other half as he pulled away from him, wings spreading wide. "Yami come back!" Yugi called tearfully.

"Please be careful Yugi, there are forces among you that you _must_ defeat." Yami whispered, though Yugi could hear his voice clearly. "Don't hold back, and never give up..."

"Yami!" Yugi called desperately, reaching his hands up towards the other as if he was trying to reach him.

Yami shut his eyes, tears trickling down his face. "We'll see eachother again soon..."

"Yami!"

There was a blinding flash and Yugi fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

_End Dream_

* * *

The shadow hissed as it approached Yugi's bed, leaning over the boy who had his back turned to it. It reached down it's claw-like hand, which it slid under Yugi's face and turned the boys head so he could look at him. It's eye's narrowed in curiousity at the tears streaming down the sleeping boys face.

"Are you in pain, Yugi...?" it hissed, laying his head back down on the bed gently. The shadow grinned sinisterly and chuckled. "Do not worry, little one... all your troubles will be over very soon..."

As the creaure desolved into the darkness around it, the glint of a blade flashed in the rising suns light from the creatures side.

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

Hmm... odd? Yes! Aww, I feel so sorry for Yugi and Yami! -glomp-  
Well, whacha think? Don't expect as mant updates as before. I've gotta work for exams coming up in...7 weeks. But I'm still trying to get back into writing more often and, again, I'm sorry for the long wait!  
Welp, thats all for now! Slán slán people!  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef  



	3. Blood and Blind Rage

Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but with exams and all (tomorrow, Friday and Monday left -groans-) I haven't had much time to write. And to make it worse my moms kicking us off the computer for the summer (only half and hour!) and we'll be heading off for holidays in Salou at the end of July. Not that I'm complaining...

Wahoo! Europe's biggest roller coaster! Ryoura and I shall enjoy it immensely **XD**

anyway, enough yapping, enjoy the chappy! Weird name, huh? well, I had another, but until the last second I didn't realise it gave away some of the story -sweatdrop- Yesh, one word would have spoiled a lot!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 

"This is talking"  
_'These are thoughts'_

** Chapter Two - Blood and Blind Rage **

"Come on sleepy head, time to get up!"

Yugi groaned in response as Ryoura continued down the hall to the elevator. He opened his eyes slowly, shutting them again when he was greeted with the harsh rays of the sun. His eyes were warm and sore, and when he touched his skin he realised tears were still settled on the right side of his face. The left side of his face, however, felt rough, though not sore.

Sniffing he rubbed the tears away and sat up, blinking a few times to let his eyes adjust to the light. As he opened his mouth to yawn the left side of his face felt stiff. Curious as to what was causing his discomfort, he threw off his thin duvet and swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing up and making his way to the bathroom, grabbing the Millennium Puzzle off the nightstand as he did every morning.

Rubbing the remaining sleep out of his eyes Yugi turned on the cold tap, cupping his hands under the cool water and splashing it lightly in his eyes to help wake himself properly. When he looked up at the mirror, however, he recalled in horror at his reflection.

A large, bloody hand-print was smeared across the side of his face, the blood having dried on his skin and created a brittle layer on his skin. Breathing heavily Yugi stepped back towards the mirror and rubbed his eyes, but the hand print did not dissappear like he'd hoped it would. He cupped his hands back under the running water and splashed his face, rubbing the dried liquid with his hands to try and get rid of it.

He grabbed a face-cloth off the railing and rubbed his face hard with it until his skin had turned a flush red colour from being rubbed so hard. Throwing the cloth into the sink he leaned his hands on the side of the sink and leaned close to the mirror, inspecting his reflection closely. He ran one hand over the side of his face to check for any more blood, but all he felt was the heat from his flushed skin. Steadying his shaky breaths he stepped back from the mirror and sat down at the edge of at bath, gripping the marble as he tried to regain his composure.

The shadow stood directly behind the spirit of the puzzle and chuckled in amusement at the boys actions.

Yugi yelped as an evil chuckle sounded behind him, jumping to his feet and spinning around to find... nothing. The chuckled died as quickly and mysteriously as it had sounded, and Yugi once again found himself alone. Pressing his hand on his chest, as if to slow he racing heart, Yugi gulped in large amounts of air, the fright giving him a feeling as though he had been running. He shut his eyes and tried to sense if there was other magic in the air, but there was no increased levels of magic in the atmosphere.

A sudden knock at the door caused him to jump.

"Hey Yugi? You awake yet?"

"Y-yeah, just a minute Ryoura," Yugi called, walking quickly out of the bathroom so he didn't feel so confined. Though it was large, the shadow's appearance had given him a fright, so he wanted to distance himself from the room as quickly as possible. Pulling on his jacket and picking up his back-pack, he ran to the door and flung it open, only to come face to face with a very confused looking Ryoura.

"You sure are in a hurry to leave," Ryoura tilted his head as Yugi shut the door of his room.

Yugi shook his head. "I'm just... worried about Yujhi. We have to find him."

Ryoura smiled and gave Yugi a thumbs up. "Don't worry, we will!" he chirped in his usual optimistic way. "Pepper's down in the lobby waiting for us. He sent me up to check on you when you didn't show up. Ain't that sweet, he's worried about you!"

"Yeah..." Yugi breathed, though he really wasn't paying attention to what Ryoura was saying at all. He placed his hand on the side of his face again, tapping it lightly with his finger-tips as if expecting something to appear there. Ryoura fell silent after that, realising Yugi wasn't in the mood to talk. When they entered the lobby, Yugi paid no attention to the conversation of his other travel companions, still rubbing his fingers over his skin. He wished he could find a cut of some sort, to explain the blood, but there was none. _"What's going on...?"_

* * *

"Yee-ha horsie!"

Bakura sighed in frustration as Ryoura galloped past him on a grey horse, kicking a large amount of sand into the tomb-robbers face. "Why are you being so awkward? All the horses are the same!"

"Nu-uh, this ones faster!" Ryoura beamed, pulling on the reins to slow the horse down and turn him around, trotting back to Bakura. Stopping in front of Bakura he lay down and wrapped his arms around the horses neck. "I think I'll call him Spot!"

"He's not yours, but call him what you want," Bakura muttered, turning look at Yugi, who was petting a dun-coloured stallion nearby. "I hope you won't be half as awkward...?" he asked, and Yugi shook his head. Bakura walked over to the owner of the horses and handed him a credit card, which Steve Kaiba had given him before they left. "The horses they have for a week."

"And yourself sir?" the owner asked. Bakura couldn't help but feel the man was just looking for more money, and he had to try very hard not to punch him in the face and make a run for it without paying. Restraining himself, though, he looked around and grabbed the reins of the closest horse to him; a dapple-grey stallion. "Very well." the man said pleasantly, walking away with the card. Bakura cringed and jumped up on the horse with little effort, pulling on the reins.

"Aww... Peppy loves his pony!" Ryoura laughed, still hugging 'Spot' around the neck. "Let's call him... Blotch!"

Bakura blinked and frowned. "Spot and Blotch? Well arn't you creative..." he muttered, looking back towards the man who was approaching with his card.

"Now each of the horses each have a small chip embedded in them, so I'll be able to find them wherever you are if you don't return them in time, and I'll have full right to call the police." the man warned, holding the cards up to Bakura, who snatched it angrily.

_"Modern day humans are so charming..."_

"Aren't we though?" Ryoura smiled over at Bakura, having heard Bakura's thoughts, causing the owner of the horses to give him an odd look.

_"Ryoura... stay out of my head..."_

"Make me!"

Yugi ignored the two as yet another bicker started up between them, pulling himself up onto the duel-coloured stallion and gripping the reins.

_"Slifer-" "-the power of the Shadows-" "Obelisk-!" "I summon you-"_

Yugi winced and held his head as a sharp pain shot through it, along with a number of words cut from separate sentences. This had been happening a lot lately, and he had yet to tell his companions of his newest issue, which he was afraid may have linked with the blood on his face that morning. Each time he would only get snips of different sentences, but they were always spoken by the same person.

_"Yami... what's happening to me? Why do I keep hearing your voice?... Maybe my memories are returning..."_ he glanced up when he heard his name being called, and quickly forced a smile to try and make the others think he was alright. Their sceptical glances told him he hadn't succeeded. _"They're getting suspicious... let's hope I figure this out before they start asking questions..."_ He gripped the reins of his horse and dug his heals into it's sides, causing the creature to bound forward instantly, galloping past Bakura and Ryoura without a word.

_"What is _wrong_ with him?"_ Ryoura asked Bakura as both of their horses took off after Yugi's. He pulled on the second strap of the backpack that was slung over his shoulder, similar to the ones his comrades had, which were full with supplies to last them the week they would be away from civilization. _"He's been acting really weird lately... and he's ten times worse today!"_

_"I don't know..."_ Bakura admitted. _"But I sense a new presence around him... something dark..."_

Ryoura's heart dropped and he glanced over at Bakura worriedly, _"A lost soul?"_

_"Maybe..."_ Bakura dug his heal into his horse to speed up it's pace to keep up with Yugi, who's stallion seemed to be gaining speed. _"Tell me if you see that shadow again. We're going to have to keep a close eye on Yugi for now."_

_"I will."_ Ryoura nodded, but his worry increased from the tone Bakura used. _"Is... he in danger?"_

_"Possibly..."_ Bakura narrowed his eyes. _"And if that's the case... We may be too."_

_"Us? How?"_ but Bakura would say no more on the matter, he had shut his mind off from Ryoura completely. This made the teen feel nervous more than it angered him, because he knew when Bakura shut himself off like that he was thinking of something bad. Ignored by both spirits and unaware of the direction they were heading, he allowed his horse to fall slightly behind Bakura's.

He reached his hand up and turned his blue baseball cap backwards to avoid it being blown away, though nothing shielded his eyes from the sun now. Holding his hand up to shade his eyes he looked up at Bakura and then past him at Yugi, frowning at their silence. He pet the side of the horses neck and sighed. "Looks like this is going to be a _long_ journey Spot..."

* * *

"ILIA!"

Joe yelped and feel of the sofa he'd been lying on. Sitting up and rubbing his head he turned to look in the direction of the yell. "Oh boy, who'd you kill?" he asked, turning to look at the girl who'd quickly taken his place by throwing herself across the couch.

"Who, me?" Ilia asked innocently, pointing to herself and blinking in fake confusion. She was wearing a red tank-top and black pants reaching her knees. Joe was wearing a white, sleeveless shirt with a dark green shirt over that and denim jeans.

"Steven Kaiba don't yell for no reason," Joe pointed out, looking back at the stairs as Steve came thundering down, stamping his foot on the floor when he reached the bottom.

"Where'd you put my clothes?" he asked in a quiet voice, as if trying to mask his rage. Pitifully.

"Your clothes?" Ilia said, in the same mocking tone, looking him up and down then pointing at the outfit he was wearing. "Aren't... those your clothes?"

"The clothes in my suitcase, Ilia!" Steve growled, pointing up the stairs. He was really on edge, and Ilia didn't seem to care.

"Oh them," she waved her hand dismissively, then smiled, "I burned them."

"You what!"

"Yesh Steve, you need to stay out of your dad's office for a while," Joe commented, covering his ears. "You sound like a flippin' fog horn!"

"I do not!" Steve protected, slamming his fist off the barrister in anger. Had he been a little less frustrated, he would have been red from the embarrassment of his childish actions, instead of anger.

Ilia sighed and pushed her self up off the couch. "Honestly Steve, you've got no sense of humour when you're tired." She walked over to him and ignored the scowl he sent at her. "I was _kidding_. You know? Funny ha ha? You're suitcase is in the car," she jabbed a thumb over her shoulder at Joe, "I got Mr. Macho over there to bring it out."

"Ya..." Joe grumbled as he pulled himself up off the ground, "with half her house too!"

"That's a _little_ over-exaggerated." Ilia stated, linking arms with a still fuming Steve and dragging him towards the front door of his house. "Time's a-wasting boys. We'll miss our plane if Joe doesn't hurry up!"

"Me?" Joe called after her, picking up a small back-pack of things he wanted to keep with him on the plane, "I'm not the one who insisted on having a shower before he left!"

"Hey, just because my little Stevey's more hygienic then you doesn't give you the right to put the blame on him!" Ilia laughed as Steve blushed and looked at her, confused. She just smiled at him and opened the door of the car, jumping in.

Joe jogged up next to Steve and laughed. "Stevey?"

"Welcome to the world of Ilia's boyfriend," Steve grumbled, too agitated to enjoy Ilia's playful teasing or reply with one of his smart remarks. He slid into the back of the car beside her, but quickly kept his gaze away from hers to avoid conversation. When Joe jumped in beside Steve and slammed the door, the brunette groaned and held his head.

"To the airport..." he muttered to the driver, sinking down into the seat in hopes of finding a way to drift off to sleep and away from Ilia and Joe's constant chatting. _"Just think of your happy place, Steve..."_ he thought to himself, pulling the hood of his jacket over his head and down over his eyes, _"Happy place, happy place, happy place..."_

* * *

_"Pepper_!" Ryoura whined loudly, lying forwards on his horse's neck and letting his arms hang down. "I'm _hot_. And not in the attractive way!"

"We're in the middle of the desert, Ryoura." Bakura grumbled, tossing a bottle of water over his shoulder to his hikari, who caught it without sitting up. The group had slowed to a walk to avoid tiring their horses too quickly. "You knew it was going to be like this, why do you insist on complaining every day?"

"Because I'm the only one who makes a _slight_ effort to start a conversation," Ryoura grumbled, taking a drink from the bottle before tossing it back at Bakura, who, like Ryoura, caught it with little effort. "I mean, did you guys take some sort of 'oath of silence' before coming here or what?"

"No..."

Ryoura groaned and leaned his head on the back of the horses neck, knowing that was as much of a reaction as he was going to get out of them at the time. "You guys are no fun..."

Yugi narrowed his eyes and spun around, glaring back at Ryoura. "Do you think this is some sort of game?" he whispered threateningly, eyes narrowed.

"What?" Ryoura sat up quickly frowned, shaking his head. "No, that's not what I'm saying. I just mean-"

"Well that's what it sounds like to me!" Yugi yelled, pulling on his horses reins and spinning the creature around to face Ryoura. "If you can't handle this then go back to the hotel with your yami and I'll find Yujhi by myself!"

"Calm down..." Bakura growled, but Yugi ignored him.

"Your nothing but trouble anyway! All you do is complain!" he yelled, pointing at Ryoura, who dropped his gaze quickly to the floor. "You're ignorant to the powers at work here and you don't seem to understand how dangerous this mission could be! I'd be better off without you and since you can't survive a day without Bakura you should both leave right now!"

"That's enough!" Bakura yelled, startling both Ryoura and Yugi with the anger in his tone, though Ryoura kept his gaze on the sand. Turning his horse he directed it to stand between Yugi and Ryoura's horses, glaring daggers at the puzzle spirit. When he spoke his voice was low, but commanding. "Get back on track, Yugi. You're wasting time with stupid arguments."

Yugi glared back at Bakura, but pulled the reins of his steed and turned away wordlessly. Bakura began to follow, glancing Bakura at Ryoura to make sure he was following. He was, but he had yet to look up to meet his yami's eye.

After a few minutes of silence, Bakura glanced back at Ryoura. _"Are you all right?"_

Ryoura glanced upwards and bit his lip. _"I... I didn't mean..."_

_"I know you didn't." You're just as worried about Yujhi as Yugi is._ Bakura nodded, keeping an eye on the spirit in front of him while talking to Ryoura. _"Your just being yourself; trying to make people feel better in a bad situation. Don't be angry at yourself for that."_

_"But Yugi-"_

_"Is upset."_ Bakura assured, looking back at Ryoura. _"Don't listen to what he said, he didn't mean any of it. You may be a little naive, but your magic is much more advanced then most mortals and you are well capable of using it."_

_"Thanks..."_

Bakura nodded before quickly returning his attention to Yugi. _"But even if he is upset, this is quite out of the ordinary for Yugi..."_

_"He did flying a little to high off the handle, didn't he? That's not like him."_ Ryoura agreed, looking past Bakura to Yugi, who had once again lapsed into a silence. _"What do you think is going on?"_

Bakura sighed. _"I don't know, but we better find out soon. We don't know if this is the start of something far more dangerous..."_

Yugi raised his hand and ran it through his hair, sighing heavily. _"What's going on with me...?"_

_"There's nothing wrong. You're just upset..."_

"And maybe a little hysterical. Seeing as I'm talking to myself."

"No one else understands... no one knows what your going through..."

"No... they don't..."

"And now they're speaking though mind. I can sense the magic between them."

"They're avoiding me? They're hiding from me?"

"Of coarse... It seems they don't trust you."

"No... no, they're just giving me time to myself after I yelled at Ryoura..."

"He deserved it."

"He did?"

"Yes... it's just as you said, he doesn't care. You need to watch out for yourself now, Yugi. Forget them, they're just holding you back."

"...Holding me back..."

"Yes... They may even be trying to lead to astray from your task."

"Lead me astray? Why would they do that? Yujhi is Ryoura's friend."

"Bakura was once your vicious enemy... who's to say he's really changed? And Ryoura is a light. He is alone in the world; no family except for that tomb-robber. He is easily manipulated."

"They're both against me?"

"It is highly possible."

"I see... Well, I'll just be wary of them. There's no reason to jump to conclusions just yet, but I'll be careful."

"A wise decision Yugi..." the shadow whispered in Yugi's ear, grinning sinisterly. _"For now at least..."_

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

Ooooo... EVIL SHADOW!  
poor Ryoura... -huggles- You want a pizza?  
**Ryoura:** Ya! -grabs pizza from Bayleef- They don't have much pizza where we are! -puts on Gollum from LOTR and pets pizza box- The preciousssss...  
Right... anyway! Hope you guys'll review and hope you enjoyed! Slán slán for now! (must learn for science and religion exams tomorrow... eck!)  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef  



	4. Yugi's Treachery?

Hi people! Guess what? GOT HOLIDAYS ON MONDAY! YAY!  
Of coarse, then I suddenly realised how much stuff I had to do... I've spent practically half of the past couple of days on the computer trying to colour art requests, remaking my site (TIS FINISHED! YAY!), reading and reviewing stories I've had on hold and working on my stories (of coarse). 

AND off the computer I have to read the 'His Dark Materials' series (yawn... Though Iorek's cool, like Kai in bear form, heehee), Inkheart, then Harry Potter and Eldest. THEN mom says I'm supposed to read some novel I need for next year (fifth year, AH!) and read over some of my schoolbooks. I'm gonna spend my summer reading... and going to Spain! Wahoo!

ANYWAY, now that I've done a little ranting, which I need to do now and again to stay sane, thankies so much to** Chicary **and **Bookdragon**, the peeps who reviewed. You guys RULE! -glomp-

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

"This is talking"  
_"These are thoughts"_

**Chapter Three - Yugi's Treachery?**

_"No again!"_ Ryoura thought frantically, slapping his hands over his mouth in a desperate attempt to keep water out. The chain around his ankle was fitted into a bolder set deep in the sandy ground, holding him under the surface of the water. He had found himself in this same place every few nights when he drifted off the sleep, though lately his nightmares were becoming a little more realistic. The nightmare itself hadn't changed, but he could almost feel the water surrounding him, the tone of his yami's voice made his eyes sting with worry and Yugi's word, 'I'm sorry...', seemed sadder every time he heard them.

Tonight was the worst yet. He could actually taste the water in his mouth before he covered it. The shackle around his ankle dug into his skin and caused him pain, and his lungs hurt from lack of oxygen.

Then he heard it; the evil chuckle and taunting voice that had haunted his nightmares. And once again, the man said the same thing; "Having a nice swim?... It's about time I fed my revenge, _Bakura..._"

He said 'Bakura' with such venom., such hatred and anger, but with a sick, sadistic edge to it. It was almost like the way Kage had once taunted Ryoura, and at the thought of his parents murderer Ryoura shuddered.

The image around him shattered like glass and he landed with ease on the floor of the Shadow Realm, ready for the dramatic change of scenery. He sadly shut his eyes and waited; then heard Bakura's cry of distress. He didn't look at his yami this time, not wanting to see the pain in his eyes or the blood covering his clothes.

"How...? How could this happen...?"

Bakura disappeared after he spoke and Yugi materialised to Ryoura's left. Glancing up he saw the yami, once again, summon a silver sword from thin air, then begin to fight enemies Ryoura could not see. Finally, as if a sign of Ryoura's escape from his nightmare, Yugi raised the sword above his head and shut his eyes, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered, though Ryoura could hear him clearly, then sliced downwards, the end of Ryoura's nightmare.

Only this time something was different; the split second before he awoke, he heard a scream of pain, from the voice of a person he couldn't picture in his mind yet it was familiar.

But before he could try and place the voice, he felt a violent tug at his arm. His eyes snapped open and the voice vanished from his mind, and he was met with the eyes of his yami.

"Ryoura, you can't sleep any longer. We need to do as much searching as possible before dusk," the tomb-robber informed, moving away from his hikari and picking up his bag. They had decided to stop at an oasis and rest in the shade of the trees during midday, to rest up and avoid the harshest of the days sunlight.

Ryoura sat up with a groan and rubbed his eyes, thinking over the dream in his mind. "What time is it?"

"Late enough, we shouldn't have slept this long," Bakura sighed, throwing Ryoura's bag to him when he stood up. Pulling his own bag over his shoulders he walked over to where the horses were tied, placing his hands on the creatures back and pulling himself up. Once he was righted he held the reins lightly.

"Mornin' Spot. Mornin' Blotch." Ryoura yawned, pulling himself up onto his horse too. Yugi's horse, who Ryoura now dubbed 'Stain', wasn't there, so he figured Yugi had taken him and was debating which direction they were heading. Sure enough, Yugi and his horse were standing a short distance from the oasis, looking around. The group travelled silently once Yugi picked a direction, travelling at a fast pace to make up for their sleep-in.

_"Pepper, what exactly are we looking for again?"_ Ryoura had found it safer to talk to Bakura through mink-link, as he was afraid of another outburst from Yugi.

_"We're looking for a weak link between the Shadow Realm and this realm,"_ Bakura answered. _"It's inside a temple, but that was millennia ago, and the temple itself was destroyed during the years I was in Egypt."_

_"Now you didn't have anything to do with that, did you?"_ Ryoura grinned, his tone teasing.

_"No. But from what I've learned from books I've been studying lately, the humans of this time haven't broken through the magic barrier that surrounds the temple. It hasn't been found."_

_"Is that... good or bad?"_

_"Good. Had they found it they may have removed some of the artefacts there. That temple is a sacred place; not even I stole anything from there."_

_"How come?"_ Ryoura tilted his head, confused. Whatever Bakura was like now, Ryoura knew he had been extremely avaricious back in ancient Egypt.

_"Because it seals our world off from the Shadow Realm. Every object in that temple plays a part in keeping monsters from crossing into this world and causing chaos. If you remove one thing from temple, the seal doesn't work, so the monsters are free to roam as they will. Because of this, the temple is protected by Millennium Magic."_

_"So wait... Are we looking for magic waves from the Shadow Realm or Millennium Magic? 'Cause we'll have a really hard time with both! We've got Millennium Magic around each other, and Egypt seems to be made from magic of the Shadow Realm."_ Ryoura scratched his head, bemused.

_"That's because Egypt is so strongly linked to the Shadow Realm..."_ Bakura thought about Ryoura's question for a moment, then sighed. _"Both. A dramatic increase in either magic would most likely lead us in the right direction. Let us know if you sense anything."_

_"You mean if I get an odd, fluffiful feeling?"_

Bakura rolled his eyes. _"Yes..."_

_"Ok Pepper!"_ Ryoura smiled brightly, though he knew now their conversation would, once again, slip into silence. Sighing, his mind drifting back to the dream. "Who's voice was that...?" he whispered to himself so no one could hear.

Suddenly Yugi pulled hard on his reins, causing his horse to stop dead in it's tracks and rear up slightly, kicking it's front legs. He had sensed a sudden pull of his magic towards the east, and action that may just be linked to the temple they were searching for.

Bakura, who had been travelling a short distance behind, pulled on the reins of his horse to stop from running into Yugi's, but he suddenly found his grip lost, and fell backwards, tumbling over the back of the horse and landing hard on the ground. His unexpected fall left him paralysed momentarily as his mind tried to catch up with what happened.

Ryoura yelped and pulled on his horses reins hard. The creature stopped just before Bakura, but reared up then thrust it's hooves downwards towards the tomb-robber. Luckily, Bakura spotted this just in time and rolled quickly out of the way, the horses hooves just barely missing his head. Ryoura almost fell off his horse he tried to jump off so quickly, stumbling over next to Bakura. "Bakura are you ok?" he asked in a loud, panicked voice, wrapping his arm behind Bakura's shoulders and helping him to sit up.

Yugi, who had been looking in an eastward direction, looked back and blinked at the sight before him. "What happened?" he asked. He hadn't been paying any attention and had not noticed Bakura falling off.

"He just... fell off his horse!" Ryoura exclaimed, helping his yami when the tried to stand up. "Maybe you shouldn't be moving so soon," he said, walking with Bakura as he heading back to the horse, correcting his path when he began to tilt from dizziness, "I mean, you should take it easy after a fall like that, you could be injured."

Bakura shook his head and placed his hands on his horses side when he reached it for balance, though Ryoura still kept a hold of one arm just in case. Reaching up he took his reins in his hands and narrowed his eyes. "That explains it..."

"What? Bakura, what are you talking about?" Ryoura asked, looking at the reins in his hand, his eyes grew wide. "How did...?"

"They snapped?" Yugi asked as he got his horse to walk over next to Bakura's horse, across from the other two. "I thought this stuff was strong. How could it just snap like that?"

"It didn't," Bakura muttered, holding up one end of the broken reins for them to look at. "This is been cut."

"What?" Yugi and Ryoura exclaimed at once, though Ryoura's voice was more dramatic. Sure enough the leather strap and been severed cleaning, those there was a stretch part on one corner. Someone must have cut it most of the way but left it hanging on by a small bit so it wouldn't be spotted.

"Who would do that?" Ryoura asked angrily, narrowing his eyes.

"The more important question is when..." Yugi whispered, taking the other back of the severed rein from Bakura. "This wasn't damaged before we left, the horses were only just equipped and no one went near our horses after we choose them."

"The reins were definitely not damaged yesterday," Bakura muttered, "nor this morning when we settled at the oasis."

"So... this only happened in the last few hours?" Ryoura asked, swallowing hard as he looked around. "Do you think someone's following us?"

"Maybe..."

Yugi looked to the side as Bakura began to try and pull himself back up on his horse, though Ryoura protested, and bit his lip. Someone was following them? He didn't know why some one would be following them; they had nothing of value unless someone had their eyes on the Millennium Items, which was possible considering they were made of gold.

But Yugi knew it was something else the person was looking for. When Ryoura and Bakura were back on their horses, Bakura having repaired the reins so they were usable, Yugi set off east-wards without a word, mind focussed on another matter.

It was the voice he heard the other morning. It was definitely the cause of all of this. Raising his hand once again to the side of his face where the large, bloody handprint he had awoken to one day had been placed, he frowned. He didn't know how or why the mysterious voice was doing what it was, but Yugi was terrified.

Yugi let his hand drop from his face and reach inside his jacket, running his fingers along the blade of the sheathed dagger he had found there when he last awoke; the blade that had undoubtedly cut Bakura's reins.

* * *

"Ah! Too hot!" 

"No duh, it's Egypt!" Ilia exclaimed, rolling her eyes as the blond member of the group grumbled to himself. "You've only been off the plane a few minutes, it's going to take a while to get used to it."

"But I don't _wanna_ get used to it," Joe moaned, picking up his bag, "I just want it to stop being so hot!"

"With with this country being _Egypt_ and the whole global warming issue, that's not likely to happen," Steve muttered, rubbing his eyes. He had fallen asleep on the plane, and had luckily slept off some of his crabby attitude. "Just suck it up, we didn't come here to hear you complain. We're here to find Yujhi."

"Your right... sorry..." Joe looked down. He had been missing the shortest member of their group a lot lately, mainly because the idea had finally reached his mind that Yujhi _was_ gone. He couldn't just pick up the phone and call him, or expect and e-mail from him telling him about where he'd gone on holidays. He really was gone, and to make it worse he might never come back. "So... How will we be able to find Ryoura and the others?"

"Easy enough I'd say. If I can look five thousand years into the past with my necklace, I'm sure I can look back and see where they were this morning. It should be easy enough to place them after that." Ilia explained, smiling brightly. Tossing her bag over to Steve (he caught it but protested with a number of grumbles), she marched out of the airport empty-handed with the two boys behind her, carrying her bags as well as their own.

"Lazy woman..." Joe muttered, scowling at Ilia as she walked ahead of them.

"I know, and proud of it!" Ilia smiled back. She raised her hands to her Millennium Necklace and ran her fingers over the eyes symbol. _"I sure hope this will work... I don't want to let anyone down..."_ she thought sadly to herself, walking absentmindedly towards the nearest restaurant. They needed something to eat and it didn't matter where she used her Millennium Necklace, as it didn't put on a glowing show every time she used it like most other items.

A few minutes later, after she'd sent the other two off to choose a good meal from the menu by the door, Ilia was seated at a table in the corner of a restaurant with here eyes closed as she tried to clear her mind. The boys hadn't complained when she asked (or ordered) them to leave, as they knew she needed time to herself to concentrate.

Placing her hands flat out on the table Ilia closed her eyes and began to concentrate on her Millennium Necklace, feeling a soft wave of magic wash over her from the item. _"Millennium Necklace... show me where Yugi and the others where earlier this morning..."_

It formed almost instantly without effort, an image of an oasis appearing before her eyes. Ryoura and Bakura were sleeping under a number of trees, Ryoura looking slightly uncomfortable. Yugi was awake and standing by the horses, petting a dun-coloured horse but looked at the dapple-grey one.

_"An oasis?"_ Ilia thought, noting the image of the site in her mind. She was about to try and move the images further from the oasis to find some indication of the area they were in, when she say Yugi standing by the grey horse he had been looking at earlier.

Yugi held his hand out and when Ilia blinked, a blade had appeared in his hand. Raising the dagger up he took a hold of the reins of the stallion and looked at them, then placed the blade against the leather near the metal bit in the horses mouth and cut through it slowly and cleanly, stopping before it was severed completely. He walked around the stallion and did the same to the other side, and from this angle Ilia saw something unusual. Yugi's eyes looked the same, but for some reason Ilia saw something different about them. They seemed more empty, and angry, cutting the strap with an evil glint in his eyes.

She snapped out of her trance and gasped, unable to keep the Necklace focussed any longer. She stared at the table in front of her with shock. Why was Yugi sabotaging the horse's reins? It may have only been for a split second, but Ilia was sure she'd seem something around Yugi, something black that resembled a magical aura that surrounds powerful magic-users. Was he being possessed? Or had something happened to Yugi and his magic was reflecting his inner feelings?

"Ilia?"

Ilia jerked out of her stare and looked up, meeting a pair of azure eyes.

Steve blinked in confusion and tilted his head, "Are you ok? You look a little worried..."

"Ya I'm fine. Just needed to take a break. I'll try again later," she smiled brightly. There was no point in worrying them about Yugi right now; for all she knew it mightn't be a problem when they meet up again. She'd just have to act like she saw nothing until she was sure Yugi's attitude was seriously something to worry about. She pouted and folded her arms, leaning back in the chair and crossing one leg over the other. "So? Where's my food, servant-boy?"

* * *

Ryoura yawned heavily and let his eyes stay closed, head drooping as tiredness began to overtake him. The sun had set a long while ago and now Ryoura found himself cold instead of hot, and he was exhausted and aching from travelling for so long without stopping apart from when Bakura fell off his horse. It seemed to have hurt his pride a little, as the tomb-robber hadn't said anything since then, and Yugi seemed to be in a deep, yet uncomfortable, silence. Why? 

"Guys," he finally said, hoping he wouldn't get yelled by Yugi again, "I don't know if you realised, but the suns gone to sleep and the horses are sleep-trotting. Don't you think we should rest a little bit?"

Bakura looked back at Ryoura, though it was difficult for the goup to see each other with only the moonlight to guide them, and opened his mouth to speak. But Yugi spoke first.

"It's not far..." he whispered, his tone deep and voice very unlike his own.

"How do you know?" Ryoura asked, tilting his head. He could sense an increase in magic in the direction Yugi was leading them, but how did Yugi know for certain it was what they were looking for?

"I can sense it..." Yugi whispered, "just tust me." Had Yugi not been leading the group and there had been more light, they may have seen the evil grin spreading across his face as he spoke.

* * *

"It's a sand dune." 

"This is the temple..."

"... Nope. Still looks like a sand dune to me."

"Ryoura..." Bakura growled, hoping to silence his hikari before Yugi got angry and started yelling again. He didn't care in the slightest what Yugi thought of him or Ryoura, but his lighter half was another thing. Though he, like Bakura, hardly ever cared what people thought of him, he was sometimes hurt when his friends would comment.

Ryoura seemed to understand what Bakura was trying to do, because he closed his mouth and didn't say another word. Yugi slid off his horse and walked over to the spot he had pointed out to the other. Ryoura was right; it did look like nothing more then a sand dune, but the powerful magic radiating from underneath the group was enough to convince them Yugi may be right.

Sliding off their horses Ryoura and Bakura headed over next to Yugi, Ryoura tilting his head curiously as Yugi began to study the ground. _"Two things, Pep'. Even if this is the temple, it's buried under a couple o' thousand years of sandstorms, and it's too late to be going into a temple. And I'm tired!"_

_"Would you care to repeat that to Yugi?"_ Bakura asked, arms folded as he watched Yugi stand up and take a few steps back. Bakura stepped back also, and Ryoura followed suit once he'd looked back and forth between the two a few times.

Yugi raised his arm out in front of him, palm facing the ground, and shut his eyes, looking relaxed. There was complete silence around the group for a few moments as a small ball of light appeared in Yugi's palm and began to grow.

_"He's going to break the barrier?"_ Bakura thought, narrowing his eyes. He would have though Yugi would look for another method, but seeing as he had choosen a method Bakura would have used, the tomb-robber shrugged and raised his palm out, a large ball of fiery green magic appearing in his palm. Ryoura looked nervous, but did the same as his yami, waiting for Yugi to make the first move.

The shadow stood behind the group with it's arms folded, it's body not longer a fiery mass of black like it had been before. It now stood with a build slightly more human-like, arms folded across it's thin-framed body, a grin plaster across it's face. _"That's right... flying blindly into my web, my friends..."_

Yugi raised his hand up, Ryoura and Bakura copying, and the three balls of magic were thrown down to strike the floor, causing an explosion of green and golden light.

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

Hmm.. weird, huh? Yupyup, sorry for that -sweatdrops- heehee. Well, there ya go! Another chappy to this outlived fanfic! Though this one was really weird and even I felt it was kinda pointless O.o;  
Ok, my **Beyblade** obsession has exploded to life at the sight of Kai fighting King and Queen, so I've got another Beyblade story started and prologue finished. That means I have two stories to focus on now. Silly me, making more work for meself. Well, that'll be up once I figure out a name and summery (summaries… they take forever!)  
Welp, hope you guys liked the chappy! Please review, coz me lovies reviews and so does Ryoura!  
**Ryoura:** REVIEWS! -glomp-  
Heehee, slán slán for now peeps!  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef  
Site(without the spaces, of coarse): www .geocities. com/bayleefslibrary 


	5. Within the Temple

Heyhey everyone! look at that, another update! And ANOTHER weird name for the chapter! heehee **XD**  
Anyway, welcome to a new chappy! Ryoura's gonna do the review responses coz there's only a few of 'em, and because he loves you all.  
**Ryoura:** I love you reviewers! -glomps you all- 

**Response To Reviews:**  
**pagethereviewer:** Thankies for the review! ok, I'll tell her. -Takes a deep breath- BAYLEEF! Do what the reviewer says! Apparently your work is actually good!  
**Bayleef:** SAY WHAT!  
**Ryoura:** I know! Shocking, isn't it!

**Chicary:** Bad things are gonna happen? Why? how? When! Bayleef I'm a-scared now!  
**B:** Don't look for comfort from me, I'm the one doing it all!  
**R:** oh ya... Hug me anyway! -hus Bayleef and Chicary-

**BookDragon:** Bayleef's not good with updating as quickly as usual, but thats probably because her parts are longer now. of corse, thats why people don't read as much anymore **XD**  
**B:** we just can't win, can we Ryoura?  
**R:** Nope, doesn't seem that way. Glad you liked the chappy, and hope you like this one too! -glomps BookDragon- Thankies again for reviewing!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

"This is talking"  
_"These are thoughts"_

**Chapter Four - Within the Temple's Shadows **

Yugi, Bakura and Ryoura all threw their arms over their faces to protect themselves as their magic struck the ground, throwing up a large explosion of sand all over them. What was strange was the fact the sand didn't land on them at all. Instead, it got caught in a current that had suddenly picked up and spun around all three of them like a tornado.

"Is this supposed to happen?" Ryoura called to Yugi; the wind around them was so strong it was almost deafening. He heard someone yell a reply, but couldn't make it out. He couldn't decide whether it would be better to stay where he was or try and break through the tornado of sand around him. Seeing as he didn't seem in any immediate danger, he decided not to move.

Suddenly there was a large explosion of yellow light and the sand was thrown in all directions, the tornado disappearing instantly. Yugi stood with his arms stretched out beside him, eyes closed as the dim light surrounding him faded away, though once the light disappeared it was difficult to see once again in the dark. He had used his magic to break the tornado and was now standing quite still at the edge of a steep drop.

Ryoura's eyes grew wide when he'd dared to look, his arms dropping to his sides as he walked up behind Yugi and looked down the slope. The tornado had blown away a large amount of sand, covering an area of about six metres by five, but reaching down in an almost completely vertical slope for a very long distance. Yugi sat at the edge of the slope and slipped himself off it, dodging Ryoura's hand when he tried to grab him, and slid down the slope. After about ten metres down he stopped, hitting a solid surface, and collapsed to his knees in surprise.

"Are you nuts!" Ryoura yelled down at him as he stood up, though Ryoura couldn't see Yugi at all in the dark. He only knew he'd stopped because he heard a bang. "Yugi? Are you ok?"

"It's ok, you can come down."

Ryoura shivered at Yugi's voice. It was so calm, in a sort of evil way. He looked at Bakura, who seemed to have been thinking the same thing, but his yami just looked at him and shrugged. Obviously he had no idea how to react to Yugi's new attitude either. Thinking back Ryoura remembered what Bakura had said after Yugi had yelled at him; he was just upset.

_"Losing Yujhi must have really hit him hard..."_ Ryoura thought sadly as Bakura sat at the edge of the hole as Yugi had and slid down. Ryoura followed when he heard Bakura landing, or rather when he heard him cursing aloud when he hit the surface. _"That's four fifty to the swear jar when we get home!"_ Ryoura piped happily through the mind link as he slid down the hole, though he knew Bakura could sense his nervousness.

Glancing back at Bakura and Ryoura, Yugi got up from where he had been kneeling, examining the floor, and raised his hand up. He muttered a short spell and a glowing bow of light appearing in his hand. Much like Bakura's Millennium Sabre, Yugi's Millennium Puzzle could summon one type of magical weapon, and the weapon exclusive to the Puzzle was a bow and arrow. All Millennium Items were the same, save the Millennium Rod, which acted as a weapon on it's own.

Bakura looked at Yugi suspiciously when he summoned his weapon and his hand twitched lightly, as if ready to summon his own weapon. "What are you doing?"

Yugi looked back at Bakura as an arrow formed in his hand which, along with his bow, cast a bright light over the group. "The barrier is more powerful then I thought, I'm using this to break through," he answered simply, stringing his bow and pointing directly at the floor by his feet. "If I use enough magic I should be able to break right through."

"Break it? Break what?" Ryoura blinked as a thought occurred to him, swallowing hard and bracing himself as his gaze slowly lowered to the surface they were standing on. The light from Yugi's weapon was casting a reflection on the surface, and Ryoura gasped when he realised whatever they where standing on was a transparent, glass-like surface, and beyond it was complete darkness; a drop in which Ryoura nor Bakura could see an end. "Yugi wait! Are you crazy? We have no idea how far this thing drops!"

Yugi narrowed his eyes at the ground. "Ryoura, this is the only way in! I'm sorry, but we'll just have to chance it," his voice had changed again, but back to it's original tone. He sounded like himself again, determined but with a hint of desperation to find his hikari, none of the coldness that seemed to take him over every now and again. Pulling on the string of his bow tighter he focused his magic, the light of the arrow growing stronger.

Ryoura bit his lip nervously and looked down at the darkness below him, then at Bakura. "You should probably help..."

Bakura sighed and raised his hand, an emerald green flame erupting in his hand and stretching upward, taking on the form of Bakura's flaming Millennium Sabre. He gripped the hilt tightly, twirled it around so the pointed faced downward, held it firm, then raised his above his head and waited for Yugi to launch his arrow.

Yugi took a deep breath and his posture tensed visibly for a split second, then he released his arrow into the ground. Bakura used this as a signal and stabbed his sword directly into the magical barrier they stood on. Green and golden cracks appeared almost instantly over the surface, spreading quickly in so many directions the light from them was almost blinding. Cracks continued to form until the entire surface glowed.

_"Yugi no! It's a false entrance!"_

Yugi gasped and looked upwards for the source of the voice, though it echoed in his head, but suddenly the surface exploded, dropping all three downward into complete darkness.

Yugi's heart began to pound so hard in his ears he was deafened by it's rapid beating, drowning out Bakura and Ryoura's yells as they realised what had happened. The tunnel was extremely deep, and as the wind rushed by his face Yugi panicked at ever passing second, waiting for the ground to come.

_"Yugi!"_

The voice again, sounding over his own heartbeat. He couldn't bring himself to open his eyes, but somehow he felt that, if he did, the voice could not help him. He could hear another beating sound, but not a heartbeat, and the tighter he shut his eyes and tried to focus on the voice that had spoken to him, the louder the sound got. He stretched his arms upward, reaching for something.

A hand grabbed his and for a split second the world stood still. All sounds disappeared, even the sound of his own heart, and the darkness seemed to have lifted, though Yugi still didn't dare to open his eyes. A warm wave of magic radiated from the Millennium Puzzle, and as the world returned to normal and Yugi felt himself once again plummeting towards the ground, he gripped the hand holding his tightly and took hold of all the magic in his Puzzle. He cried out as he released a blindingly powerful amount of magic from the Millennium Puzzle, and to his surprise a blinding light erupted from the Millennium Ring also, the magic forced out by the power of Yugi's Puzzle. It filled the darkness with a golden glow, and suddenly they stopped falling, just two feet from the floor.

But the amount of magic used was far too strong for any of them, and as suddenly as they stopped falling, all three Millennium Item users drifted into unconsciousness. Yugi tried to remain conscious, holding the hand tightly, but he could feel his grip loosening and mind fading. He felt himself being lowered gently to the ground, and then the hand slipped away from him, along with his consciousness.

* * *

His feet were pounding, his mind racing so quickly it made him dizzy, but he knew he couldn't stop. Behind him a large, dinosaur-like dragon flew, screeching loudly as it quickly caught up with him. He glanced left and right, but the area he was running offered no shelter or hiding places from the dragon; just the wide, empty Shadow Realm with it's black, red and purple swirling sky. 

Yujhi yelped as a fury of white flames shot down at him, just barely missing his feet as it hit the ground behind him. He tried to run faster, but he was so tired he didn't think he could last much longer. The Shadow Realm would never let him rest, this he knew only to well. He was always being attacked in one form or anther, and if he ever found himself alone, he was terrified of the silence and couldn't rest out of paranoia.

Time past unevenly in the Shadow Realm. He could have been there two days or two years and it may not have felt any different. He kept reliving the same day that he lost his battle to Mark over and over again, but sometimes, like now, he found himself running from the match only to be followed by Mark's monsters. Relived ever day, yet it never felt familiar. Every time he was filled with the same identical fear, no matter how many times the exact same thing happened.

Seiyaryu dropped down and knocked Yujhi to the floor, pinning him face-down with one of it's heavy feet, crushing him. Yujhi gasped, but his breath caught in his throat as the monster lowered it's head and opened it's mouth, placing it's open jaws above his head. He struggled in vain to try and escape from the monster, eyes shut tight as tears of fear brimmed in his eyes. _"Yugi help!"_

He knew his mind-link couldn't break through the Shadow Realm, but it didn't stop him trying. Unfortunately, just like many times before, Yugi didn't appear to save him. The dragon's jaws began to close until he felt it's sharp teeth pressing into his neck, causing him to yell in terror.

Then the creature evaporated, he was standing before Mark with his first three cards in his hands, and the torture began all over again.

* * *

Ilia yelped and wrapped her arms tightly around Steve, glaring at the back of his head. "Have you EVER ridden a horse before?" 

"Do you guys ever listen to me? No, I haven't!" Steve gripped the reins of the horse tightly, steering it right and left until he was sure he got a little control of the animal. Joe and his horse trotted past Steve and Ilia, grinning at the two. Steve growled and glared at him, "And how the heck did you learn?"

"Ryoura loves horses. He made me go to lessons with him when we were little," Joe turned his horse to face them and smiled. "I thought it was a waste of time, but he loved it! I never thought it would be the perfect way to show you up!"

"The _only_ way..." Steve muttered, smirking when he earned a scowl from his blond friend. Having used the Millennium Necklace to place where Yugi and the others were, they had taken a bus to the city nearest that area (luckily they hadn't been too far away) and left their luggage in a hotel before going to the very same man that Yugi and the others had rented their horses from two days previously.

After receiving the same lecture about not returning the horses on time, they paid the man and said they would be back the next day. Unfortunately, by dawn the next day the man said he had rented one of their horses to a man who offered him more money then they had given him the previous evening, so they were left with only two.

Steve had complained at first, but eventually decided that yelling at the man wasn't going to make another horse appear out of no where, so they'd just have to make do with what they had. So now he was trying desperately to learn how to control the horse properly, and though he was catching on fast, he still made mistakes.

"Come on Steve, we've gotta get moving if we're ever going to catch up to them!" Joe called when Steve looked like he understood what he was doing. kicking his horse hard in the sides, Joe took off as leader of the group and darted into the desert. It was still slightly dark, the sun only just rising, but Ilia had pointed the direction they were to head; south-east. Steve was quick to follow and soon they were making their way across the desert at a very quick pace.

_"Hang on guys, we're on our way."_

* * *

_"Hey Yug'? Helloooooo... You gonna wake up or what?"_

Yugi's hand twitched slightly and he groaned, his eyes shut tight before he slowly opened them, blinking the haze clear of his vision but not trying to get up. Had he just heard someone call his name? The ground underneath him was littered with something jagged, but he didn't bother turning his head to see what it was. He idly picking up an item and running his fingers over it's odd-shaped surface, continuing to stare blankly at the ceiling. He hadn't come out of his daze yet.

_"Yugi?"_

A second voice now? Yugi dropped whatever was in his hand and tried to push himself up, though he only succeeded in sitting up on his elbows. It was a few hours after dawn now, but no light came into black area. "Who's there?" he called to the dark, but there was no answer. _"Damn it... I can't see a thing!"_

_"Hey look! Lazy-bones is up!"_

"What...?" Yugi whispered in confusion, looking around him in hopes of finding some source of light. He was about to summon some magic to light his way, when something else got his attention. A ball of white light, about the size of a basketball, had floated up out of the ground a few feet away, but though it glowed it lit none of the surrounding area. It floated up in front of Yugi, around him, then stopped beside him, glowing brightly.

Narrowing his eyes so he could keep an eye on the ball of light without hurting his eyes, he recalled when it gave a sudden bright flash, blinding him momentarily. He rubbed his eyes hard to try and rid himself of the spots floating in his vision, but when a laugh sounded he froze.

"Bet ya didn't expect that, huh Yug'?"

Yugi blinked a few times as he looked at the figure that had appeared beside him, thinking it was some sort of effect of the flash. "J-Joey?" Yugi stuttered, staring upwards at the teen beside him.

Joey grinned and gave Yugi and thumbs-up, "That's right!" He looked no older then in the few memories Yugi held of him, and was sporting a familiar blue and white t-shirt, jeans, his usual black runners and wearing a silver dog tag. Joey laughed at Yugi when he saw his expression, staring open-mouthed at his friend from millennia ago. "What's with the face Yug'? Am I really that good looking?" he grinned, striking a pose.

"How...?" Yugi trailed off as another ball of light appeared behind Joey. In another flash, another person appeared; a girl with brown hair and deep blue eyes, wearing an aqua coloured, sleeveless shirt, denim shorts, knee-high socks and blue sandals.

"Don't flatter yourself Joey," the girl grinned when Joey glared at her, then smiled softly at Yugi. "Hi Yugi, long time no see."

"Téa?" Yugi shut his eyes another ball of light floated up and exploded in a bright light, leaving behind the image of another friend, Tristan. "Tristan? What are you all doing here? _How_ are you here?"

"Well that's not very nice, is it?" Joey said, pouting.

Tristan folded his arms, "Aren't you happy to see us Yugi?"

"Yes of coarse I am!" Yugi almost yelled, jumping to his feet with energy he thought he'd lost. He smiled brightly, looking from one friend to the next. "I just can't believe you three are actually here!"

"Three?"

Yugi jumped and spun around.

"You missed one," Yami chuckled lightly when Yugi faced him, pointing at himself. He smiled warmly as Yugi stared at him, taking a few steps forward so he was standing right in front of the shorter boy. Placing a hand on Yugi's shoulder he squeezed it slightly, "We've missed you so much Yugi..."

Yugi looked down at Yami's hand, shocked that he could actually feel the spirits touch. Shouldn't he be going right through them? A sudden thought struck him, "I'm not dead am I!"

Yami laughed at Yugi's outburst and shook his head. "No Yugi, you're perfectly fine."

"Then... this is another dream?" Again, Yami shook his head, "Then... _how_?"

"Does it really matter?" Joey asked, walking up behind Yugi and catching him in a headlock. "All that matters is we're finally back with our little buddy!"

Yugi laughed as Joey ruffled his hair, trying to pull Joey's arm away from him, though not with much force. "You're right, I don't care!"  
Releasing Yugi from his headlock Joey moved to the side to allow Téa to come over and wrap her arms around Yugi's shoulders, hugging him tightly. This caused Yugi to blush lightly, but he laughed and hugged her back. "I've missed you guys..." he whispered, looked around at the group of friends around him.

"We know Yugi..." Yami smiled, and Yugi was sure he saw Yami's eyes shining with tears.

And through this happiness Yugi lost all thought of Yujhi and the peril he must be facing. He forgot about the Bakura's and whether or not they were all right, and he forgot about the grounds he was on; sacred grounds with devious spells and spirits haunting every corner.

The spirits that now took on the shape and personalities of his friends.

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

Phew, chappy end! Muha! More evil spirity things! Coarse our little shadow friend didn't make an appearance in this, but he'll be in the next one, kk?  
This chappy's a little shorter coz there was suppsoed to be a little part with the Bakura's at the end, but I decided to save that for the next chappy!  
**Yujhi:** My first appearance and I'm suffering? Gee... thanks a lot...  
Well sorry, but that's just the way the Shadow Realm works.  
**Yujhi:** According to you...  
Aww... I'm sorry! -glomps-  
**Yujhi:** Get off! This is not helping!  
**Ryoura:** Should have thought of that before you decided to speak **XD**  
He's right! Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed that chappy! Please review! -points at review count- it's dropped a little sense the last story -sweatdrops-  
Slán slán for now people!  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef  
Site(without the spaces, of coarse): www .geocities. com/bayleefslibrary 


	6. A Voice From Beyond

**LOOK AT MY PROFILE!**

Ahem... anyway!

**NEWS:**  


Ok guys, there was no updating cause the computer broke and didn't work for a long while, so thats my excuse given, NOT laziness  
**Ryoura:** This time.  
Uh... ya... **ALSO** I'm going to Spain for a week tomorrow, so no more updates for yet another week! 

Now, I know this parts a little boring, but the end of it's VERY important to the plot! Hope you guys enjoy, and because I'm in a hurry, I won't respond this chappy. Next time, kk? I LOVE my reviewers!

Oh, and **Rowena Raven**, HELLO! I haven't heard from so long! -glomp- Yay! Thankies for the complements, and your ToS story (haven't gotton 'round to reviewin' it yet, and I'm only popping on to update thing cause I'm supposed to be in bed, but I WILL REVIEW) was AWESOME! Hope you update it, tis great!

Now, on with the story!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

"This is talking"  
_"These are thoughts"_

**Chapter Five - A Voice From Beyond **

The soul that had been following the group for the past few months sat at the edge of the opening Yugi, Ryoura and Bakura had created, one leg crossed over the other and arms folded. It's former had become much clearer over the past week, though it was still devoid of colour.

It -or rather his- strength had been building for months, but only lately had his form begun to change, also. He had been curious as to whether or not Yugi and the others had survived the fall, but was thankful he could still sense their life forces beating strongly below. Thankful in a sadistic sort of way.

He didn't know how they had survived, but he was looking forward to seeing them again. That boy, Ryoura, seemed to have seen him a few times, which was very odd. Then again, not all magic-users are the same, it's possible he had a gift for this sort of thing. Not that he was of any threat to him anyway, but the evil spirit was sure he could have some fun torturing the boy before his yami's eyes. Yes, that would be a wondrous experience... to see the helplessness on the yami's face as he slowly brought the boy closer to death.

And then there was Yugi.

The spirit ran his finger along the blade the rested at his side, a grin spreading acoss his face. Yes, he would deal with Yugi afterwards, once he had done away with the other two. He would like to have a 'chat' with him first, however.

But why rush things? He wasn't in a hurry, the longer it took the more satisfying it would be in the end, as long as he was the one to do away with them. So he decide he wouldn't approach them just yet, he would wait for them to find there way out. And if they didn't, he'd come down and finish them himself.

* * *

Bakura coughed and rolled over onto his stomach, groaning at the amount of effort it took to push himself to his hands and knees. His whole body was shivering uncontrollably, but not with pain. _"What happened to me? Why can't I stop shaking...?"_ He coughed again and sat down, using his hands to stay upright. He looked around in hopes of finding some sort of light in the pitch black, but he couldn't, and an unexpected sound hung in the air; someone was laughing? 

"Bakura?" Ryoura's voice sounded to Bakura's left, not far away.

"Are you all right?" Bakura asked, rubbing his head. That had been an extremely long fall, but he had lost consciousness on the way down. How was he not hurt?

"Ya, I'm ok..." Ryoura answered, sounding equally as shaken as Bakura felt. After a moment of silence Ryoura asked. "Pepper, am I going nuts or do you hear Yugi laughing somewhere 'round here?"

Bakura blinked. Now that he listened better, it was Yugi who was laughing. "I hear him too... what's gotton into him?" His hand ran subconsciously over the surface he was sitting on, and he narrowed his eyes as he picked up one of the many items that seemed to make the floor. He was pretty sure he knew what it was, but he needed light to be sure. Dropping the item and holding his shaking hands in front of him, he tried desperately to summon some magic to make a light. Unfortunately, a lot of effort only resulted in a few small sparks. "What is going on?" Bakura growled angrily.

Ryoura frowned at the anger in Bakura's voice and lifted his left hand on the ground in front of his face, so he was looking at the Millennium Ring. He reached up with his other hand and held the item, frowning. "Bakura... the Ring's cold... but now it's warm again..." Ryoura finished, a surprised tone in his voice.

"What happened before we fell unconscious?" Bakura asked, looking in the direction of Ryoura's voice.

"I have no idea, all I remember is Yugi's Puzzle lighting up, and then the Ring. You think he did something to it?" Ryoura asked.

"Well, I suppose that would explain why we feel like this..." Bakura sighed, pushing himself to his feet. He stumbled slightly, but quickly steadied himself. He reached his arms out and felt a wall to his right, and began exploring it with his hands. "If Yugi took powers from the Ring he drained it from us, too. It put us in a sort of temporary shock, and the Ring as well. The magic's going to be unstable until we can calm down."

"Speaking of Yugi, what's the matter with him?" Ryoura lowered his arm, still holding the Ring that was tied around his left wrist, listening. Yugi's voice wasn't too far away, but the echoes made it harder for Ryoura to understand what he was saying. "Yugi!" he called, but Yugi completely ignored him. "What is going on?" he muttered, getting to his feet also and shifting towards the wall also.

Bakura's hand slipped into a trench in the wall and he blinked, running his hand along the inside. It kept running across the wall, and it felt like there was some sort of mist inside it.

"What's up?" Ryoura asked, sensing Bakura's confusion through the Millennium Ring. He was standing next to his yami now, though he still couldn't see him.

"This is..." Bakura started, running his hand through the mist absentmindedly. "Can you feel the trench in the wall...? This is a type of magic that was used in secret tombs and passages in temples. It travels along the walls of the room and is used like a light. If we can focus enough magic into the mist, we should be able to light up the room."

"Light up the 'magical mist', huh? Kinda like a circuit?" Ryoura tilted his head, moving his hand away from the mist. "But you can barely make a spark..." he trailed off as a shiver ran through him, causing him to clutch his arms. He'd known there was something about this place that worried him, and now he was pretty sure it wasn't just the dark that was triggering his fears.

"Well, we'll just have to try harder."

Brushing his fears aside for the moment, Ryoura turned his attention back to the trench in the wall, placing his hand back inside the mist. "I think I've calmed down now anyway..."

Bakura nodded, focusing on his magic once again, but finding it much easier to concentrate now that the shock had subsided. Unfortunately, he was still limited on the amount of magic he could use for now, so he had to rely on Ryoura's magic as well.

Ryoura took a deep breath and closed his eyes, lowering his left hand to his side so his fingers touched the Ring hanging around his wrist. He tried hard to focus on the magic inside him, and sure enough the familiar warm feeling grew inside him, though much slower then usual. Through their link he could sense Bakura going through the same thing.

_"Ready?"_

_"Yup.."_ At the same time, both Ryoura and Bakura allowed the warmth of their magic to leave them through their hands, running directly into the mysterious mist that they had left there hands hovering in, and slowly but surely they felt the warmth travel through the mist and all around their hands.

They continued to let their magic flow into the mist in this way, eyes still closed, until it was moderately warm on their hands, signalling it was quite bright now. It left them slightly light-headed, though, and when they both took their hands out of the trench at the same time Ryoura leaned himself fully against the wall to stay standing while he regained himself, Bakura stubbornly only using his hand to hold himself.

Ryoura opened his eyes slowly to let them adjust to the bright green, glowing mist that now ran through the trench in front of his face. He smiled lightly, then pushed away from the wall and turned around. The sight that met his eyes caused him to yell and slam his back against the wall in an attempt to recall in fear.

As Bakura had said, the trench ran around the entire room, lighting the area with an eerie green glow, but it's what stood in the centre of the room that had frightened Ryoura. Yugi stood with his back to Bakura and Ryoura, looking around him and smiling at the figures that flew around him; twisted, black figures that Ryoura recognised instantly as similar to the shadow he had seen following Yugi for the past number of weeks, though they looked quite different. Only now there were four black figures circling Yugi, and Yugi laughed as one of them knocked against him and caused him to stumble forward.

A large cracking noise echoed along with Yugi's laughter with every step he took, and Ryoura's eyes grew wider and knees weak as his eyes feel on the hundreds of bones and dozens of skulls that littered the floor beneath Yugi's feet, most still connected to each other to show a basic outline of the mangled bodies that had been left in this room; broken spines, legs, ribs... injuries of every sort. And now Yugi had succeeded in crushing the skull of one body and the leg-bones of another. He didn't seem to notice them, though, eyes locked on the spirits circling him.

Bakura took a step forward slightly in front of Ryoura, ignoring the bones beneath his own feet, and studied Yugi, eyes narrowed. "Lost souls..." he muttered to Ryoura, whose breaths had become shaky and uneven. He turned his head sharply and looked back at Ryoura.

"Don't believe anything you see here, there may be more of them and if there are they may do to you what they've done to Yugi." From what he could gather of the area, this area was a false entrance to the temple, and the bodies around him where those of the victims who had fallen in before, most not surviving the fall.

"What..." Ryoura pressed himself harder against the wall, eyes locked on the lost souls around Yugi. He couldn't form words easily anymore. "What... what are they...?"

"Do you remember what I told you about them? They only have to look at a person and they know everything about them. As souls themselves they can see your soul clearer then the Millennium Key ever could." Bakura and Yugi had explained to Ryoura the use of each Millennium Item during their travels in Egypt, as well as each items specific weapon, such as Bakura's sabre and Yugi's bow and arrow. "For some reason these souls don't seem to be trying to make Yugi suffer like most others usually do..."

Ryoura pushed himself away from the wall, though he was still weak at the knees. "How could _they_ torture anyone?"

Bakura frowned at Yugi as he spun around and took chase after one of the black shadows, bones crunching under his feet as they did. "I've already explained-"

"I know how lost souls do it," Ryoura interjected, stepping up beside Bakura, "but I don't think these guys would be capable of it."

"What do you mean?" Bakura asked, looked over at Ryoura. The teen standing next to him was slightly paler then usual, and looked thoroughly sickened when looking at, not the bones on the ground, but the blurred black spirits themselves, so he kept glancing at the floor. A thought occurred to him. "What do you see around Yugi..?"

Ryoura looked at Bakura, surprised. "Don't you see them?"

"I see them," Bakura said, nodding, "but I'm sure we do not see the same thing..."

Ryoura blinked in confusion at what Bakura was saying, trying to make sense of it, but spoke all the same. "I see actual people... not like the one following Yugi, though I know they're the same thing..."

Bakura looked back at the blurred figures in front of him, confused, then back at Ryoura.

"Their just kids, Bakura..." Ryoura said sadly, glancing back at the spirits which, compared to what Bakura saw, were quite clear. "Little kids. They must be just lonely or something..."

"You can actually see they're children?" Bakura asked, surprised.

"Ya, can't be older then thirteen," Ryoura answered, looking at Bakura. "Why? Is that not supposed to happen?"

Bakura stared at Ryoura in shock for a moment then shook his head, turning his gaze to Yugi. "No.. it's just a very odd gift. But children or not, they're still dangerous. If you're right in saying their doing this out of loneliness, they'll never let Yugi leave this place..."

Ryoura frowned and looked down at the bone-covered ground, then up at Yugi. Unfortunately, his view was blocked by another black soul that darted up out of the ground right in front of him.

"Ryoura!"

The world around Ryoura fell completely dark as the black figure before him quickly took the shape of a human, twisting and morphing until it fell into a perfect form, colouring spilling over it like a liquid, until a ghostly image of a human floated before Ryoura. The teen stumbled back quickly, but he could no longer see the world around him, but the ghost before him.

The ghost tilted it's head and frowned. "Are you all right Ryoura?"

"G-get away from me!" Ryoura yelled when the ghost floated towards him. _"Bakura said nothing here is real... it's not real Ryoura, don't listen to it!"_ he thought to himself. When he had yelled the ghost had stopped looking hurt.

"Ryoura-"

"I know you're not my mother!" Ryoura cried out, moving away as the woman reached her arm out to him. The ghost before him had taken on the perfect image of his mother, Casandra, who he himself had seen die all those years ago at the hands of Kage Ishtar.

'Casandra' chuckled lightly, "Ryoura sweetie, what's the matter?"

Ryoura's breath caught in his throat; she sounded just like her... Just like all those times Ryoura had come to her after a nightmare or seeing something that had scared him. She even spoke to him in the same manner as he remembered, as though he was still a little child, but it didn't annoy him. _"It's not her!"_ he yelled at himself, yet he didn't move then the ghost approached him again.

"Come on, you can tell me what's wrong, can't you?" Casandra smiled, reaching her hand out and letting it hover over Ryoura's shoulder uncertainly for a moment, then holding his shoulder lightly, smiling. "What are you scared of? Is something wrong?"

Ryoura took a deep breath and looked down at the ghostly hand on his shoulder, then into the eyes of the woman claiming to be his mother. How could any ghost imitate her so perfectly? Everything about her, from her eyes to her voice, was exactly how he remembered her. Was it really one of those dark souls? She looked so real, exactly how his mother would look as a spirit.

But looks weren't everything.

His eyes darted to her hand and narrowed. They were cold, and though they tried to be soft he could feel a presence of anger. _This_ spirit was trying to torment him, unlike the children around Yugi, most likely because he and Bakura showed signs of interference. He raised an arm and touched the spirits arm lightly, feeling it was solid, then swung his arm and hit her away. "Get away! I know you're not really my mother!"

Casandra looked taken aback. "Ryoura what are you saying? What's gotton into you?" when he didn't reply she frowned, reaching a hand forward, "Ryoura-"

"Stop it!" Ryoura screamed, covering his ears and shutting his eyes tight. He felt her hands touch his arms -even by that second of contact he knew the spirit was not his mother- and quickly hit them away. "Don't touch me! Leave me alone!"

"Ryoura!"

"No!" he threw himself right at the spirit, trying to knock her aside, but stumbled right through her, crashing headfirst into Bakura instead and causing the spirit and him to fall to the ground. He quickly pushed himself to his hands and knees and looked around, bewildered. "What...?"

"Ryoura?" Bakura sat up, holding his head which he had hit hard off the ground when Ryoura tackled him. He looked over his hikari's shoulder and saw the black figure that had been following Ryoura was fading away. He smirked. "Well done, you beat it."

Ryoura's breaths were coming in gasps and he couldn't make sense of the area around him for a moment. When he'd finally calmed down he noticed a few drops of water on the floor beneath him and, raising a hand to his face, he realised he was crying. He cried them quickly and looked up at Bakura, who sat quietly waiting for him to collect himself.

"Are you alright?"

"Ya, fine..." he muttered, drying his eyes quicker and feeling embarrassed. A spirit darting between him and Bakura caused them both to jumped, Yugi darting past them after the spirit. "Is he... playing tag with the souls?" Ryoura asked, blinking in confusion.

"Look's like it."

"We have to snap him out of it!" Ryoura pushed himself to his feet and pulled Bakura up too. "He can't run around here for the rest of his life! What are they doing? Trying to trap his soul here with theirs when he dies?"

"Precisely," Bakura guessed, by Ryoura's expression, he'd only been joking. "We have to wake him up, but I don't know how to do it..."

Ryoura looked at Bakura with surprise. "What? I thought you knew all about these things!"

"Did I ever say that?"

"Well..." Ryoura paused, then looked down. "No..."

"I don't know how we can bring him back from that little dream-world they've dragged him into, but the sooner we get him out the better..." Bakura thought for a moment, then looked at Ryoura. "I could..."

"No!" Ryoura yelled, reading Bakura's thoughts. "They didn't do anything wrong, you're not sending them to the Shadow Realm!"

"Fine," Bakura huffed, "but it was the simplest way.."

"Man, your like an addict! No. No sending people to the Shadow Realm for you!" Ryoura scolded in a light-hearted tone, trying to lighten the situation despite himself. _"Pep's right, I just can't help it can I?"_

"All right then, what's your plan?" Bakura asked, folding his arms.

"Um... Scream at him?" Ryoura grinned nervously, taking a step backwards when Yugi ran by again, this time the spirit following him. As Yugi ran past Ryoura saw the faded mixture of black and purple in his pupils, unfocussed and filled with what looked like very light fog. It was like he was hypnotised. Bakura raised an eyebrow at Ryoura's suggestion and he shrugged, "Well.. he might hear us sooner or later..."

Bakura huffed and looked back at Yugi, who was now laughing uncontrollably. "I still like my idea better..."

* * *

"Yami st-op!" Yugi laughed, trying to push the Puzzle spirit away as he attempted to tickle him again. He ran a few steps further away, but was stopped when Joey latched his arms around him. 

"Got him Yami!"

"Joey!" Yugi yelled in protest, but still laughed. Through his laughter, however, he knew something was wrong. He couldn't shake this odd feeling inside him that these people weren't really his friends, but he assumed it was just because he hadn't been with them all in such a long time.

_"Yugi..."_

Yugi's laughter stopped abruptly, his eyes shooting around the black area in search of the owner. It was the very same voice he had heard before he passed out!

_"Yugi please..."_ the voice sounded so upset, as they were starting to cry. _"Don't let them fool you..."_

"Fool... me...?" Yugi blinked, confused.

"Eh? What you say Yug'?" Joey blinked in confusion, letting his friend go and looking down at him. Yugi seemed to be in some sort of daze. "You ok?"

"Huh? Uh, ya, I'm fine!" Yugi said, smiling happily.

_"Yugi please, listen to me! They are not your friends, they're an illusion!"_

"Illusion...?" Once again Yugi found himself whispering aloud, looking around him, but finding nothing but darkness. Suddenly, he remembered the voice, and felt stupid and surprised he hadn't before. "Yami?" he yelled in shock. But why? Yami was standing right before him, wasn't he?

"What?" the Yami before him tilted his head, glancing at the ground around Yugi. Was the boy starting to realise what was happening?

"Uh, nothing..." Yugi muttered again, turning his gaze skywards. What did Yami mean by that; 'illusions'?

"Yugi, what's going on?" the dark soul representing Téa demanded, looking angered all of a sudden.

"What? No, it's nothing, really," Yugi insisted.

"You're lying..." 'Tristan' growled angrily, advancing on Yugi, who stepped back fearfully.

"T-Tristan?" Yugi stuttered, backing until he bumped into Yami. He spun around and faced the boy behind him, who shared the same angered expression as Téa and Tristan.

"You're not going anywhere..." Yami ordered, gripping Yugi's arm tightly as he tried to back away, squeezing it hard so as not to lose grip. "We've been alone here to long..." his voice seemed to lapse into that of a younger boy, his eyes turning an odd green colour as the spirit slowly began to show signs of it's real image. "We don't want you to go..."

"Let me go!" Yugi yelled, pulled against 'Yami's' grip, but the spirits grip merely tightened.

_"Yugi! I know it's hard but you must use your Puzzle! You must force them away from you!"_

Yugi thought back on the amount of magic he used before he fell uncoscious and frowned, trying to pull his arm away from 'Yami' and jumping when Joey grabbed his other. "But how? I've used to much power already!" he yelled aloud, unsure how to speak to the voice in his mind.

_"You have to try! Defend yourself!"_

"I can't!"

_"Yugi!"_

And there was the feeling again, his empty hand was held by another and the world froze, just as it had when he had been falling into this place full of lost souls. Only now he knew whose hand it was, and gripped it tightly. It didn't force him to use his magic this time, though, and Yugi realised Yami was trying to encourage him this time, not force him to use his magic.

_"Please Yugi... you have to try..."_

"Ok..." Yugi whispered, clenching his free hand into a fist. Summoning all the magic he could use without endangering is life too much, the Millennium Symbol appeared on his forehead, glowing a bright golden, though not as much as it usually would have. The spirits around him recalled at the sight of it, afraid.

_"Yugi now!"_

Yugi cried out and released a wave of magic from his body, pushing the spirits away. It was just a warning, but it drained him, so he was glad to see the spirits flee in fear and the darkness around him dissolve into an unfamiliar green-lit room, Ryoura and Bakura standing around him looking shocked.

Yami's hand, once again, drifted from grip, and he subconsciously reached out to grab it again, but the room spun before his eyes and he stumbled over, caught in the arms or either Ryoura or Bakura, eyes drifting closed as he tried to regain himself.

Ryoura began to bombard Yugi with questions of concern and Bakura scanned the area with his eyes for any sign of any remaining dark souls, Yami spread his silvery white wings as he drifted upwards and sighed, smiling down at Yugi. "That was a close one Yugi, but the real battle has yet to come..." he whispered, narrowing his eyes and looking up at the dark spirit that sat atop the opening, running his hand over blade at his side.

Shutting his eyes tight, Yami unclenched his hand, a small orb off light drifting out of it and floating slowly downward towards the others. "I'm so sorry Yugi..."

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

- 11:32p.m - Bwaha! So Yami's playing a part in this! Oooo... the plot thickens... **XD**  
It's longer then most, but the endings rushed 'cause my mom wanted me off the computer. No offence, but if she wants me to practise writing stories so much, why is it every time I get into writing them she wants me to do something else? Honestly, mothers.  
Nah, just kidding, I love my mommy! -glomp- though I do get kicked off very VERY often...  
Welp, I'm off to Spain tomorrow so expect nothing for a week! Sorry guys, but it can'tbe helped. Slán til next time!  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef  
Site(without the spaces): www .geocities. com/bayleefslibrary 


	7. Mysterious Light

**RANT**  
Yesh, I was reading my very first Yu-Gi-Oh! Story on Saturday (the one I deleted)... 5kb was my longest chappy! That's about a quarter the size these chappys are! Weird how your style changes... coz heck! I couldn't spell to save my life then! So. Many. TYPOS!

-ahem- Anyway, to comment on the crappiness of the last chappy, please note that it was seriously rushed as these chappys take hours and I was trying to get it done the night before I left for Spain, so MWUHA, I have an excuse! I seem to have plenty...  
**RANT END**

Teehee, thats new. Welcome to a new chappy! Note that non-rants are written after the chappy, so lookit! I'm hyper! I won't rant no more! RESPONSES TO ME REVIEWERS! -glomps reviewers-

**Reponse to Reviews**  
**Chicary:** No prob 'bout the cut-short review, it was a review all the same and thank you so much for it! Most peeps don't bother anymore, so you're special! -glomps- Yupyup, Yami's lookin' over him, ain't it SWEET! Teehee, glad you liked the chappy!

**Rowena Raven:** -points to rant- uh... thats my only excuse for the crappy last chappy, and I completely agree! It was way off 'cause I deleted a bunch of detail so it wouldn't be to long -sweatdrops- heheh..Bad move?  
My sis just drew Lloyd and Noishie! -glomp- Heehee! I LOVE THAT GAME! Ooo! Must see the DA account! I loved your piccys! Don't get fanart anymore, so those are some of my fave pics to look back on! -glomps- Thankies for the review!

**Sorceress Vanessa:**Took a little longer then a week, huh? I did have fun in Spain! Gotta post a pic or two up in DA in the Calnan account **XD**  
Thankies for the review SV! And glad you love the story! Yup, I've been dying to bring Yami back, but I knew I had to wait till the last of the series to bring him in this way. Can't wait 'til the end (is in the middle of writing it, heehee), tis gonna be great! Or... at least it's great in my head -sweatdrops- heehee. Enjoy the chappy! Thankies for reviewing! -glomps-

**Bookdragon:** Do you know something about Spain? IT'S HOT! But ya know something else, I hate shopping and I shopped for ages there! So much fantasy and EGYPTIAN stuff! Give me an Anubis figure over a dragon any day!  
Hmm.. ranting... my greatest weakness...  
Well, I'm glad you liked the chappy, even if I personnally thought it was a little slacky 'cause I cut a load out. I hope you enjoy this one more, it's a little funnier then the last **XD** Enjoy!

**yugirules** Again, yes, I did have fun in Spain! Go to Salou, it's one of the best places EVER! Though I'll always prefer good ol' Ireland, wind and rain all year round!  
Yay! Everyone's happy Yami's back, thats great! 'Cause it just wouldn't do to have reviewers hate him if he's making another appearance later on. Thanks so much for the review, you and the other reviewers rule!

Hmm, nice lengthy reviews for you all! Now, hope yaz enjoy the chappy! Crappy name, but ignore that!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 

"This is talking"  
_"These are thoughts"_

** Chapter Six - Mysterious Light **

"Yugi! Yugi are you ok?" Ryoura yelled frantically, shaking Yugi to try and get a response from the dazed teen. He had began to worry about the teen when the lost souls had turned vicious and grabbed Yugi's arms, but he hadn't been able to do anything, his hands unable to break the barrier that had been made around Yugi and the spirits.

The strangest thing about the past minute or so was the extra conversation Yugi seemed to be having with a person that seemed to be trying to help him. Whoever it was, it wasn't one of the souls Yugi scared away, as Ryoura could see when they spoke to him, even if he couldn't hear it.

Bakura let his guard slacken slightly when he realised the rest of the lost souls had fled, making his way over to Yugi and Ryoura. The smaller teen had his eyes wide open, but was staring directly past Ryoura as he questioned him, skin pale and form frozen. "He's recovering from the same magical shock we went through. He'll be all right."

"You sure?" Ryoura asked worriedly, looking from Bakura too Yugi.

"Just wait a moment."

Sure enough, a few minutes late, Yugi blinked his eyes quickly and looked around himself, as if just waking up. "What..? Where...?" he muttered, looking around himself, slightly dazed. Ryoura's questions of concern fell on deaf ears, and after scanning the area once, twice, three times, he looked at Bakura. "Where's Yami?"

"Yami?" Bakura asked, surprised. He frowned when he came to a conclusion and shook his head. "Yugi, that wasn't Yami, it was just a lost soul that-"

"No, I know that, I mean the _real_ Yami," Yugi interrupted, pushing himself to his feet quickly, stumbling when his vision blurred from dizziness. He knew Yami had been there; he had sensed and felt his presence, but where was he now? Had he run away again? No... he wouldn't do that again. He knows how much it hurts, he wouldn't...

"Yugi, what are you talking about?" Ryoura stood up quickly after Yugi and held his shoulders to steady him. "There's no one here but you, me and Bakura-"

"No, Yami was here, he was!" Yugi insisted, looking around the room once more. It was only then he seemed to realise the bones littering the floor and leapt slightly, stepping back on a number of other bones by accident.

Ryoura again placed his hand on Yugi's shoulders, this time more firmly. "Yugi, your losing it, calm down!" his voice may have been confident, but the look in his eyes showed the fear he felt of Yugi's condition.

"But... But I know..." he let his sentence trail away as his eyes looked on something about him, and his constant staring made the others look up also. A small ball of glowing white light, slightly bigger then a baseball, had appeared a few metres above the group, hovering quietly in place while the group had been talking. Yugi went to take a step so he would be directly under the ball of light, but it suddenly began floating down quickly and stopped right in front of Yugi's face.

"Get back!" Bakura yelled, grabbing Yugi's jacket and pulling him back, away from the ball of light. Ryoura shut his eyes, reading Bakura's thoughts, and tried to focus a small amount of magic into the palm of his had.

"No guys! Wait!" Yugi pushed passed Bakura and Ryoura, turning to face the bewildered pair. "Don't attack it, it's ok!" he said, waving his hands in front of him as if trying to wipe their magic away.

"Are you serious?" Bakura asked, shocked. Was Yugi really that stupid? He had no idea what this thing was!

Ignoring Bakura, Yugi turned around again and looked at the ball of light, taking a step closer so his face was a mere few centimetres away he raised a hand up beside his head and nervously tapped the ball. On touch it vibrated a tiny ripple of energy and began flying around his head wildly, as if flustered.

"Yugi-"

"No, it's ok!" Yugi insisted, interrupting Bakura yet again, the ball bouncing through the air almost happily, maybe even playfully, before stopping again in front of Yugi's face. Smiling softly, Yugi tapped it again, and once again the ball of light bounced away. "It's ok, it's not evil."

"Are you sure?" Bakura asked, though he knew Yugi had become instantly attached to the ball of light as soon as he saw it. Sighing heavily he brushed past Yugi, walking across the room without so much as flinching at the cracking bones under his feet. "Fine, keep your little pet, but we have to find a way out of here first."

"Uh..." Yugi looked away from the light that bounced around in front of his face and around the green-lit room. There wasn't a door in sight, and the only way out seemed to be the hole in the roof ten metres up which they had come through in the first place. "Why aren't there any doors?" he asked just before the ball of light bounced itself playfully off the side of Yugi's face.

"This was a false entrance to the temple..." Bakura sighed, sounding exhausted, as he stopped under the hole in the roof and looked through, seeing a box of light when the opening way above them. Stuffing his hands in his pockets angrily he narrowed his eyes at the light.

"It's to far away..." he muttered to himself, then continued his explanation, "These chambers were sometimes used to mislead thieves when they tried to steal anything. They guarded it heavily to trick people into believing that it really _was_ the entrance, when it was really a trap. As you can see, there are no escape routes and the roof in the ceiling is to far away, not to mention if we made it to the roof we would have a very difficult if not impossible climb, as the walls are slanted so we couldn't grip them.

"If the fall alone didn't kill intruders, then they would die of starvation..." he paused for a moment, thinking, then sighed, "I'm guessing the children that are in here must have fallen in when the barrier wasn't protecting the entrance, or maybe they'd been travelling with the thieves that tried breaking in."

"Children?" Yugi asked in shock, and even the ball of light stopped bouncing at the news.

"Yes, those were the souls that went after you, Yugi. Apparently Ryoura can see them and he believes they were lonely and wanted you to stay with them," at the mention of the teens name Bakura turned around; Ryoura hadn't spoken in a while. The teen was standing behind Yugi, staring at the white ball of light. "Ryoura?"

Yugi blinked and looked back, spotting Ryoura behind him as he continued to stare at the ball. "Ryoura?" he said also, but the teen seemed completely captivated by the bouncing ball of light in front of him and wasn't listening. "Ryoura, what's wrong?"

"What's going on?" Bakura asked, walking over and placing a hand on Ryoura's shoulder.

The teen instantly jumped and looked around wildly. "Huh? What?" his gaze met Bakura's, who was staring at him with a confused expression, "Oh... were you saying something?"

"What happened?" Yugi asked, equally as confused as Bakura. "Why weren't you responding? What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Ryoura said straight away, laughing and scratching the back of his head. "I was just thinking! Dangerous sport, thinking is, had you all worried for no reason!"

Neither Bakura nor Yugi were convinced by his act.

"Ryoura..."

"No seriously, I'm fine!" Ryoura declared, smiling brightly as he pointed at the hole in the ceiling. "Besides, we have more things to worry about then my deformed mentality, we gotta figure a way out of here!"

"He has a point..." Yugi muttered, looking back at the orb of light that had begun bouncing lazily from side to side. He could tell Bakura was worried about Ryoura, but the teen had a point. They needed to find a way out of here or it wouldn't matter whether or not there was something wrong with Ryoura, and Yugi's two companions seemed to be worrying about him also. Maybe this would take their attention away from him for a few minutes at least.

"Fine..." Bakura muttered, pacing back across the room to where the hole in the roof was, staring up at it. "We don't have much magic, so we'll have to think carefully through our plans."

"If we can come up with any," Ryoura said, walking up to stand next to Bakura and looking up at what looked like a small window of sky above them. "Monsters any good?"

"No." Bakura answered flatly. "If we try to summon a monster here, this close to the boundary between our world and the shadow realm, we may leave it wide open to welcome any monster that wanted to come into this room."

"Climbing?"

"I already told you, it's to high up and the climb is impossible."

Yugi sighed and reached his hand out to the orb again, tapping it lightly and smiling when it made an odd, happy sound that reminded him very much of a Kuriboh. "What are you...?" he whispered as it began to whirl around his head again. He didn't understand his own feelings around the little ball of light; he wasn't afraid of it, even though he knew nothing about it, which was odd considering he had learned to be cautious of the unknown over the centuries.

"Flying!"

"Of coarse, why didn't I think of that?" Bakura said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. The truth was, he couldn't think of a way out of this situation. He had only been in a place like this once before, and when he had been he'd had about a dozen or more other thieves outside to get him out. Now, though, there was no one on the outside to help and they had nothing with them that could be of any use. He was fresh out of ideas.

"So what do we do now?" Yugi asked as he began to walk towards the others, the orb bouncing along the air behind him before zooming in front of his face. "What the-?" the ball began to bounce around wildly in front of Yugi's face, as if excited. "What's going o?"

"What's it doing?" Bakura looked back, raising his guard slightly when he saw the orbs strange actions.

"I think it has an idea," Ryoura answered, in a much to knowing voice not to get attention. Bakura wondered did he understand it, and if so, how?

"Really?" Yugi looked at Ryoura then back at the orb. "Is that it?"

The orb just bounced around more then curved in the air and darted towards the hole in the ceiling, shooting up it and disappearing. The group sat in silence for a moment, surprised, and stared as if waiting for the orb to come back. But at the sped it was going it was long gone in a matter of seconds. Growling Bakura threw his arms in the air and yelled.

"Well thanks a lot! That was really helpful!"

* * *

"This way?"

"Are you _sure_," Joe asked Ilia sceptically, leaning on the neck of his horse and looking sideways at Ilia and Steve. "You don't sound very positive."

"Hey, this isn't easy stuff!" Ilia protested, pouting. They had been travelling for hours on one trail left behind by Yugi's group, but now their direction had changed and she was trying again to locate them. Standing in the middle of the desert after a few hours of riding in the scalding weather had not put the group in the best of moods. "I'm doing the best I can!"

"Leave her alone, Joe," Steve said, pulling the reigns of his horse to try and steady the unsettled beast. It had been standing fairly still, only moving it's hooves off the heated sand once in a while, but it had suddenly begun to try and trot away. "What is wrong with you?" he asked, pulling the reigns harder.

"At least yours isn't the only one.." Ilia muttered, looking over at Joe, who was having an equally difficult time with his horse. "I thought you were an expert on horse-riding," Ilia said, smirking.

"I never said I was the expert, Ryoura was a whole lot better!" Joe gripped the reigns hard when he horse reared up because he was pulling too hard on the reigns. "Yesh, what's gotton into them?"

"That way, I'm sure!" Ilia ordered, pointing east. It was only after she pointed she realised that was the very direction the horses were eager to travel. _"That strange..."_

"Why? 'Cause of your Necklace, or 'cause of the horses?" Joe asked, ignoring Ilia's scowl as he began trotting in her pointed direction. About four seconds later, both horses had taken off eastwards without their riders command. _"What the heck is going on with these horses!"_

Ilia wrapped her arms tight around Steve's torso so as not to fall off, focussing instead on the magic she had sensed from the Millennium Puzzle. From the strength of the wave, Yugi had used the magic while very weak because the wave wasn't very strong. At least the ripple had lasted long enough to let her Necklace lock on to Yugi's Puzzle, and now she could sense the direction he was in. They couldn't be very far away.

"What the heck is that?"

Ilia yelped as Steve's horse stopped abruptly, rearing up and neighing loudly. Joe's did the same before their hooves thumped down on the sandy ground again. Shaking her head and sighing with relief, she hit Steve's shoulder. "What do you think your playing at? I could have fallen off you know!"

"Ilia look!" Steve yelled over her, pointing ahead of him. Leaning to the side she looked past him, but couldn't make out what he was pointing at through the heat waves from the sand. Then she saw it, a white ball of light darting directly for them. Steve looked back at her. "Please tell me I'm going delusional from the heat."

Ilia shook her head, eyes locked on the orb. "I don't think so, that things got a lot of magic coming from it."

"I vote we run!" Joe yelled, trying to turn his horse around by pulling the reins, but it simply jerked it's head back so it was still facing east. "What the-? Hey! I'm the boss around here!"

"Joe they're not listening!" Steve said, pulling hard on the reins but not succeeding in making the horse move in the slightest. It stood completely still, like a statue.

"Wait guys, calm down... I don't sense anything evil from it. It's not dangerous, don't worry," Ilia whispered, watching curiously as the orb slowed itself in front of them instead of crashing into them like he thought it would. It stopped a few metres away and danced through the air from side to side, emitting strange noises and making the horses heads move with it's bouncing rhythm, as if hypnotising them.

"Seriously, what is that and what is it doing?" Joe almost yelled, pointing at the orb as it spun a few times. Unfortunately, that was the time the orb arched itself around and took off eastwards, the horses taking off after it at a gallop. Joe nearly fell off the back but managed to grab the horses mane, pulling himself up and latching his arms around it's neck.

Ilia once again clung to Steve, who managed to hold his horse's reins when it took off. Turning her head to the side she watched the sandy ground race by beneath them as the horses galloped after the mysterious force that had appeared from seemingly nowhere. _"Where is this thing taking us?"_

* * *

"You sure you can't reach it?" Ryoura asked, frowning.

"Positive now help me down!" Yugi yelled, struggling to keep himself stable from where he was standing.

"Why did I let you talk me into this..." Bakura muttered, glaring sideways at Ryoura, "I told you it wouldn't work, the ceilings too far away. And would you stop digging your feet into my shoulders!"

"It's not my fault!" Yugi yelled down at Bakura, whose shoulders he was presently standing on. Ryoura had somehow convinced them that the may be able to reach the ceiling if Yugi stood on Bakura's shoulders and reached up and like fools they had listened to him. They were at least a metre or two off! "I haven't got very good balance up here and-whoa!" Yugi had leaned a little too far back and was trying desperately to straighten himself, arms flailing madly in an attempt to straighten up.

"Yugi!" Bakura yelled, holding onto Yugi's feet tighter with his hands. Unfortunately, he to was thrown off balance trying to help Yugi and began stumbling backwards.

Ryoura yelped and covered his eyes as Yugi and Bakura tripped and fell, only hearing their yells and the crashing sound of the bones underneath then when they fell. Moving his fingers apart to look at them he bit his lip, trying desperately not to laugh. "You guys ok-ay?" he move his hands from his eyes to his mouth as he began sniggering.

Bakura groaned and tried to sit up but found Yugi lying across his stomach. Grumbling he placed his hands on Yugi's side and shoved him off forcefully, rubbing the back of his head where he'd hit it off the ground. "Idiot."

Yugi sat up and shook his head to knock himself out of his daze. "Me? This isn't my fault you know! If you hadn't been moving I wouldn't have lost my balance!"

"Oh boy," Ryoura muttered, though he was still smiling, and walked over to the others. He tried to imitate the voice of a psychiatrist he'd seen in a movie as he spoke, still grinning, "Yes, I sense a build up of great tension in this relationship. You are both unable to accept responsibility for the accident."

"Ya... 'cause it was your idea!" Yugi said, though he seemed to be smiling slightly at Ryoura's accent.

Ryoura grinned, shaking his finger at both of them, "Blaming others will not solve the intimate relationship between you two-"

"Ryoura!" Yugi yelled, swiping out at the teens leg from where he sat on the floor. Ryoura quickly dodged by jumping away and laughed. Yugi couldn't help but smile. And play along. "He's so not my type."

Bakura raised an eyebrow at Yugi, curious to his actions while completely ignoring Ryoura who was practically rolling on the floor with laughter. Yugi had become very unpredictable lately; one minute he was ranting and raving about his dead friend being in the room and the next he was playing along with Ryoura's stupid games.

Why was he acting like this? What had happened to him to make him so unbalanced? He knew for sure now that Yugi was being manipulated, especially sense Yugi had never carried a dagger before, and Bakura had felt the one inside Yugi's jacket when the Puzzle spirit had been lying across his stomach. _"I don't remember him ever getting one... why would he hide it from us?"_

Suddenly the green room became a little lighter and Bakura realised the orb of light that had appeared earlier had darted back down the hole and straight to Yugi's side, cause the spirit to jump with surprise.

"Hey, you came back," Yugi smiled, reaching out and tapping the orb playfully. It rippled and bounced around slightly, then flew back to the opening. For a second, Yugi thought it was going to leave, but it stopped for a moment, bounced around, then flew back to him. "You... want me to follow you?" the orb whirled around his head then darted back towards the hole, but staying lower down so it was at Yugi's eyes level when he stood up.

"What's that boy? Is someone in danger?" Ryoura asked the ball of light in faint shock, then grinned and laughed nervously a second later as if the orb had glared at him.

Yugi stood directly under the opening and looked up, confused. "I don't see any-"

"HELLOOOOOO!"

"Hey, that's Joe!" Ryoura ran up next to Yugi and looked up, but his friend was too far up and difficult to see. Ryoura grinned and yelled up, "'Ello Joe!"

"Ryoura? Is that you down there?" Joe yelled down, his tone shocked.

"No, Ryoura's dead. I'm his happy fairy counterpart!"

"A fairy with huge lungs! Hang on, we'll get you out of there!"

"Now what on EARTH would he do if I was serious?" Ryoura asked, grinning. He punched the air and cheered. "All right! We're getting out of here!" He'd had enough of this skeleton-infested tomb to last him a lifetime and couldn't wait to be out.

"You brought them to us, didn't you?" Yugi asked, looked at the orb, which simply bounced un and down once in response. "Thanks..." Yugi said, taking the orbs action as a yes, and it simply bounced around again in a happy gesture.

* * *

"That little orb brought their friends?" the Lost Soul said in disbelief, watching as Ilia and Joe bickered over methods to get the others out of the trap they'd practically thrown themselves in. "What is it?" he wondered, standing at the edge of the opening and looking down. His much keener vision spotted Yugi down in the dart, laughing as the orb danced around his head again. Ryoura, who was standing next to him, though, looked at the orb with curiosity.

"Well... no matter..." the spirit grinned, rubbing his hands together as he looked over at the new arrivals. "Much more fun for me... Now I have a few little victums to play with before I deal with Yugi...

"I'm sorry my friends..." he apologised sarcastically to the group, invisible and inaudible to them. A grin spread across his face, "But I'm afraid you've thrown yourself into my web when you first befriended that Bakura boy... Linked with him, and also with Yugi, I'm afraid I just cannot afford to leave you out of my little game..." he drew his sword and looked at it with a type of lust, imagining the blood of his victims smeared across its gleaming blade. "Enjoy life while you can, my friends, because it may only be a matter of days or even hours before it all comes crashing to an end..." 

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

(Thanks to my friends Sammy and Joe for the whole 'Ello Joe' thing **XD**)  
**Yujhi:** And now the ranting begins... -sweatdrops-  
**Bayleef:**Bwaha! That chappy was so weird and so stupid, but I loved it so much! I haven't enjoyed writing a chapter this much for a very long time! -glomps the chapter- So even if you guys didn't like it, I LOVED it! Not the way it's written, tis written yucky, but it was so much fun I couldn't care less! **XD**  
**Ryoura:** Yay! Happy author! Don't get that much! Glomp me! -glomps Bayleef-  
**Yujhi:** -smacks forehead- Why me? **Bayleef:**Welp, dispite all that, I hope someone liked it! Please review everyone, coz me's lovies reviews! Slán slán till the next chappy everyone! -glomps everyone-  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef  



	8. A Sprit's Secret

Ah! LOOKIT THE LENGTH! Oo Yup, tis long, but I hope you guys'll like it! I won't respond this chappy 'cause that'll just make it even longer. Thankies very much for the reviews everyone! You guys rule! Enjoy Chapter 7!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 

"This is talking"  
_"These are thoughts"_

** Chapter Seven - A Sprit's Secret **

Yugi threw himself back on the scorching sand and gulped in the clean fresh around him, trying to recover from having to climb most of his way out of the trap with a rope alone. He could feel the rays of hot sun on his face, but he preferred it much more then the damp and stuffy feeling of the room he had just climbed out of. He felt something light tap off his face and reached a hand up subconsciously to tap the ball of light that was bouncing off him worriedly. "I'm ok..." he muttered, letting his hand drop down on the sand again.

Bakura was the last out of tomb-like room, Ryoura having climbed out before Yugi, pulling himself out and refusing Joe's outstretched hand. He insisted that he didn't need their help and simply sat himself at the end of the long drop and tried to catch his breath.

"Well... that was refreshing," Ryoura sighed, taking the bottle of water Ilia offered him and downing a large amount. He sighed and handed it back so she could offer it to Yugi, who gladly took it, though he didn't seem pleased to have to sit up. "Nothing like a thirty foot rope-climb to relieve stress!" he exclaimed in what the others assumed was an attempt at a husky voice.

"Yugi, I thought you said this was the entrance," Bakura said, looking over at Yugi. His words caused the rest of the group to look at the Puzzle Spirit, who had lied back down on the ground.

"It was..." Yugi muttered, placing the back of his hand on his forehead to help shield his closed eyes from the sun. "Just a false one..."

"I know that," Bakura grumbled, pulling his legs away from the edge of the drop and pushing himself to his feet, "but don't you think it was a little reckless to destroy the barrier without considering what would happen?"

"Your the tomb-robber, you should have known..." Yugi hissed in a whispered, angry voice. His tone was very different from that in his previous sentence, but the strangest thing was the ball of light seemed to jump at his words and bounced hard against his head, causing Yugi to yelp in pain.

"Oh, so it's my fault?" Bakura growled, hands clenching into fists and gritting his teeth. He didn't appreciate getting blamed for Yugi's mistakes.

Yugi rubbed his head and looked at Bakura worriedly. "I didn't mean to say that."

"You didn't-!"

"Bakura!" Ryoura yelled, grabbing the whole groups attention. He was standing now, stance similar to Bakura's as he stared hard at his yami. "He didn't mean it..." he said quietly, glancing in Yugi's direction. "Just drop it."

"And what has gotton into you?" Bakura yelled, glaring at Ryoura. "Your personality's turned as fickle as Yugi's lately! Ever since you started going on about that shadow!"

Ryoura's mouth shut tight and his gaze stayed locked in Bakura's, though by the way his posture tensed it was clear Bakura's words had hit him hard somehow.

"Shadow?" Yugi looked from Bakura to Ryoura, both of which seemed to have frozen the moment the words had left Bakura's mouth. He raised an eyebrow suspiciously and stood up. "What shadow?"

"Ryoura-" Bakura began, but before he could continue Ryoura interjected again.

"Bakura don't," Ryoura whispered, and the entire group was surprised to hear a quiver in his voice. That along with his deep breathing told them he was afraid of something.

"Ryoura, what's going on?" Joe asked curiously as he walked over to his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ryoura?" The teen's gaze remained locked with his yami's, even when Joe called him again. "What's wrong buddy, what's going on?" he asked, shaking him.

Ryoura's gaze dropped to the floor and he took a deep breath, looking up at Joe. "Nothing..." he muttered, then looked back at Bakura. "It doesn't make a difference now... Tell them..." he turned on his heel and began walking away from the group towards his horse, which had luckily stayed in the area, only running a short distance away.

"What?" Bakura whispered to himself, watching Ryoura walk away. He's eyes dropped to the ring then closed and, with a slight use of magic, he opened the link between himself and Ryoura. It was only for a moment before his lighter half realised what he was doing and, for the first time ever, forced Bakura away from his emotions and threw a magical barrier around himself, shielding his mind and blocking out all connections with his darker half.

"Bakura?"

His eyes snapped open and he looked over at Yugi, whose expression had turned serious after realising that what Bakura was saying with important. Bakura took one more look at his lighter half and sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"What shadow are you talking about?" Yugi asked again.

"Alright..." Bakura muttered, sitting himself down on the sand again and folding his legs. "A few days ago..."

* * *

"So... you think one of these 'lost souls' is after Yugi?" Ilia asked, hugging her knees to her chest. The group had settled a few feet away from the site the temple was set in, Steve and Joe having been sent to work to set up a number of tents that they had brought with them, though they were still listening in on the conversation. Ryoura was still with the horses, trying to keep them all together so they wouldn't run away.

"Well, Ryoura said he only sees it near Yugi, so yes," Bakura nodded. He felt something hit him and growled, swatting it away. "Yugi, could you please control this thing?" he asked through gritted teeth, glaring at the ball of light the had been bouncing off him for the past number of minutes.

"I can't control it, Bakura..." Yugi said, though he was only paying slight attention. What Bakura had told him had answered some of the questions that had been plaguing him the past few months; why was he hearing voices and why he had the constant feeling of being followed, but it didn't explain why he was now carrying a knife in the inside pocket of his jacket, or why he kept saying and doing things without thinking. Unfortunately, he knew that they were somehow all connected. "How powerful did you say they were?"

"Not very," Bakura started, "As you've seen yourself they can create illusions, and they can manipulate your dreams to the point of driving someone insane, but that doesn't seem to be this one's intent. Have you been having nightmares?"

"Well..." Yugi looked at the floor thoughtfully and tapped his foot lightly on the ground, a nervous habit he seemed to have gained from Yujhi. "No... No, I haven't. But.. I have been feeling a little off lately. Is it..." he looked up at Bakura, frowning. "Is it possible for them to manipulate people themselves?"

Bakura looked at Yugi quizzically, "I... don't know what you mean."

"Like, actions," Yugi said, looking over at the horses and catching sight of Bakura's, as well as it's broken reins. "Can they make you do or say things?"

"That would be impossible unless they had some sort of direct link with you, such as through an item," Bakura assured him, glancing sideways as Ryoura made his way over to Joe and Steve, laughing at them and offering help. "And the chances of that are slim to none. I don't think you need to worry about that."

_"Direct link?"_ Yugi thought, his hand shooting straight to his Millennium Puzzle. He had believed something was wrong with his Puzzle since he returned from his memories to find Yujhi gone, and it had acted on it's own after Yujhi's soul had gone. He was hoping to leave that mystery until after he'd saved his lighter half, but the problem seemed much to dangerous to him now to just leave it alone. _"Then again, how would anything connect itself to my Puzzle? Did it slip in while Yujhi was at the Shadow Realm? That seems the only explanation... but even if it did, why would it be trying to kill me? Does it want Yujhi's body to use like a host? Or is it an old enemy..."_

"Yugi, are you ok?" Ilia asked, shaking him slightly. Yugi just shook his head and kept his eyes on the floor. Frowning she looked at Bakura, who had now folded his arms and had his head lowered, a frustrated expression on his face and eyes closed. _"Should I tell them what I saw?"_ she thought to herself, remembering when she saw Yugi cut the reins on one of the horses.

_"Dammit!"_ Bakura thought angrily, opening his eyes and glaring in Ryoura's direction. The youngest teen had completely blocked him out of his mind, and no matter how much Bakura tried to slip himself through the barrier, he couldn't read his hikari's emotions in the slightest. Figuring that this method wasn't working, he would have to be more forward.

Getting to his feet he walked quickly over towards the group of teens that had just finished setting up camp for the night, grabbed Ryoura by the forearm and dragged him away mid-conversation with his friends.

"B-Bakura what're you doing?" Ryoura asked as he stumbled after his yami, tripping over his own feet for a moment before following him.

Bakura didn't answer, he just strode away from the group until they were out of earshot and spun around to face his lighter half, letting go of him and folding her arms. He looked at Ryoura with a stern glare and said, "Tell me what's going on."

Ryoura's eyes grew wide and he shook his head forcefully at Bakura's words. "No, that'll only make it worse."

"Make what worse?" Bakura asked, keeping his voice the same monotone voice, though he was highly confused. When Ryoura continued to stare at the floor Bakura shook his head. "Ryoura, we can't help you if we don't know what's going on. And if you know any more about this lost soul, you should tell us. It may help all of us."

Ryoura took a deep breath and looked up at Bakura, as if considering his words, and bit his lip. "I guess... the situation couldn't really get worse..." as he spoke, the ball of white light that had been following Yugi floated behind him and Ryoura's body tensed slightly before he looked back. He stared at the orb for a moment then turned back at Bakura. "Um... The... The lost soul, it didn't know I could see it..."

"It didn't know?" Bakura asked, his stern front dropping at letting a curious tone edge into his voice.

"Ya. I mean, it's not like I can see it all the time, just sometimes..." Ryoura folded his arms and looked at the floor as he shuffled from one foot to the other. "But I heard what you said about it not being able to control Yugi, but this one can speak through him."

"Speak through him?" Bakura repeated, mentally kicking himself for his constant repetitions.

"When Yugi said that you should have known about the trap, his voice changed, right? That's because the spirit was talking through him. It was commenting through Yugi, I saw it," he looked up at Bakura, worry obvious in his expression, "It just sort of appeared behind Yugi for a second and mouthed the words he was saying... I think that's why Yugi's attitude keeps changing, that spirit keeps talking through him and too him, so he's getting confused."

"Ryoura this is very serious..." Bakura muttered, looking over Ryoura's shoulder at Yugi. "If this spirit can talk to and from Yugi it could slowly manipulate his mind. It could turn him against us, not to mention it must be a very powerful soul to be able to do so."

"Can it make him do anything? Could it control his body?" Ryoura asked, looking back at Yugi too.

"No," Bakura answered flatly. "I've already told Yugi that it would need a direct link with him, and there's none I can think of."

"Are you sure...?"

"Again, Ryoura, is there something you know you're not telling us?" Bakura asked again. He was becoming increasingly worried about Ryoura's attitude; he seemed to be hiding far too much. For a moment he thought Ryoura was thinking of saying something, but he simply shook his head. "Alright then." Bakura sighed. _"I don't believe him for a second, but he's not going to tell me any more then he already has right now."_

"I'm... going to check on the horses..." Ryoura muttered and walked away quickly, followed by the little ball of light, which floated through the air calmly behind him instead of bouncing like it usually did.

When he reached the group of horses, which hadn't moved since he'd left them earlier, he sighed and leaned his back against his own, then looked at the ball of light. He floated motionlessly in front of him as he stared at it for a minute, then shook his head and let his gaze drop to the floor. The light floated in front of him and tapped against his forehead lightly, making him look up.

"Who are you exactly?" he asked the ball, which simply bounced and floated a short distance away. "And why can't I tell the others? And why can't they see or hear you like I can?" The orb emitted a strange noise and Ryoura narrowed his eyes. "A gift? More like a curse! I'd prefer to be clueless then to have to keep your secret from my friends." The ball of light spun around and darted right in front of his face and Ryoura threw his hands up in front of his face. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell them!"

The orb seemed to relax as it let itself drift down slightly before it moved away again. Ryoura sighed and looked up at the slowly darkening sky as the sun began to set. To anyone watching, it looked like Ryoura was standing with a mute, glowing orb as he stared at the sky.

But to Ryoura, he was standing with a spirit that had practically begged him to secrecy. He could see and hear it while others merely saw a bouncing ball of light, and because he immediately trusted the spirit that had saved their lives, he'd agreed to silence, listening when it told him not to tell Bakura anything about it's existence. He could feel in his heart he could trust the spirit.

But as he watched the stars appear in the dark night, Ryoura heard something from the voice of the spirit that sent a shiver down his spine.

_"Raise your guard Ryoura, and stay around Bakura at all times. I'm afraid you may be in danger..."_

* * *

"Who knew your girlfriend could be useful for something after all, Steve," Joe grinned as he gulped down the last of the soup Ilia had prepared for the group.

"Ok, that's it, you can cook for yourself next time," Ilia huffed, grabbing the bowl from his hands and putting hit with her own, which was also empty.

"Aww, come on Ilia..." Joe whined, clasping his hands together as if begging. "I didn't mean it, it was a joke. Forgive me?"

"Not likely!"

"Hey... where the rest of 'em?" Joe asked, looking around. The rest of the group seemed to have disappeared, leaving nothing but a few empty bowls. "I was wonderin' why Super-Steve didn't jump to your aid like he always does."

"They're over there. Yugi left early to try and find a way into the temple, but you were to busy stuffing your face to notice," Ilia answered, collecting the empty bowls. Stacking them together see pointed off one direction while looking at her washing-up. "They're over there, if you're wondering. The rest went to see if they could help. But _you_ can't go," she said, standing up and grabbing Joe's jacket as he tried to walk away, "because you're going to help me clean up."

"What? Aww, but I don' wanna..." Joe moaned, folding his arms in a childish pout.

Ilia smirked. "Tough. Not get to work!"

"No fair... you're just going to make me do all the work anyway!"

Ilia looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "Ya, probably."

Steve shuffled through his deck until he came across the cards Yugi, Ryoura and Bakura were looking for. Taking all three Blue Eyes White Dragons out of his deck he handed them over to each person in turn, though he felt very reluctant to do so. They were the only three Blue Eyes in existence, as it had practically been made law that no more then the original four were to ever be printed, so naturally he didn't like handing them over to anyone, not even his friends.

Yugi took the card from Steve and looked at it momentarily before turning around. Before him stood a number of monsters summoned by himself and the Bakura's, including his ever-loyal Silver Fang, Ryoura's favourite monster Uraby and Bakura's Man Eater Bug. They had all been helping to dig through the sand to find the entrance to the temple, but the shifting sands simply slid back into place most of the time, slowing their progress.

It was Steve who had mentioned using bigger monsters, and Yugi had quickly remembered that Steve possessed three Blue Eyes White Dragons, which, after a short time of thinking, Yugi figured would be the best choice for the job. He would have summoned all three himself, but Bakura had insisted that his body had not yet regenerated enough magic to replace that which he had lost saving them from the fall and then scaring away the lost souls inside the trap. So it was decided they would each summon a dragon to avoid endangering anyone's life with a magical overuse.

Ryoura lined himself up next to Yugi and Bakura stepped up beside him. He hadn't spoken very much since the warning he'd been given from the spirit, and had ignored Bakura when he asked him about it. He also kept the barrier un between the two, blocking the Ring spirit's access to his thoughts and emotions. When Yugi and Bakura lifted the cards high above their heads he did likewise, and in unison the three Item users called. "Blue Eye's White Dragon, I summon you!"

An explosion of light erupted from all three cards and flew upwards, taking on the form of three, huge dragons before fading away, leaving the three real Blue Eye's hovering the the air above them. The dragons exchanged glances and roared a greeting to each other as they allowed themselves to float to the ground, landing before their three current masters.

After a quick order from all three, the dragons turned around and let a roar escape them once again, then began flapping their wings powerfully. The wind was thrown forwards in gusts and struck the sand, blowing it out of the way in giant amounts. With each flap a large weight of sand was blown away from the desired area.

Yugi stood, silently watching the dragon's work, with his eyes locked on the floor. After a few minutes Yugi's eyes grew wide and he pointed down at pointed golden plate that appeared in the sand. A few more minutes and the item was revealed as an Obelisk, with the traditional gold-plated tip 1. There were two such items protruding from the sand, and once enough sand was blown away, they could see the obelisks sat on a stone path, leading to a large, rectangular archway which was undoubtedly the entrance to the temple.

By the time enough sand was removed to reveal the entrance, front path and half of the temple itself, the dragons had become exhausted, returning to their cards without consulting their masters. Yugi's vision had been obscured more and more as the work proceeded, the amount of sand bellowing through the air increasing, but now that he had a clear view of the temple he couldn't help but stare as the moon's light lit up the temple's walls.

It stood about forty feet high, with intricately chiselled sculptures of Duel monsters along what would have been a flat, plan wall. A detailed sculpture of Slifer the Sky Dragon curled it's way up one side of the entrance, Obelisk the Tormentor on the other with the Winged Dragon of Ra seated on the top of the entrance, it's head reaching high above the roof of the temple, only slightly lower then the obelisks. Yugi was amazed it stood in such perfect condition, though he assumed it was protected by magic.

Bakura seemed less impressed then Yugi, eying the building with a dull gaze. He had seen the temple a few times before, back in his real time, when he set up camp a mile or so away for up to two weeks as he debated whether or not to try and steal from the temple. In the end he decided the temple had no direct connection to the Pharaoh, and though the raging monsters that he could release from moving a single object from the temple would certainly cause problems for the Pharaoh, he knew he had no guarantee that he would be safe from them, either.

Once Yugi had recovered from his awe-struck state, he shook his head and focussed once again on his task. Somewhere within this temple was the key to saving Yujhi from the Shadow Realm. Fuelled by that thought alone his mind threw his body forward as he ran down the hill, but no sooner was he a few feet away did the ball of light dart beside his face and begin bouncing after him madly. When he didn't slow to it's actions he flew right in front of his face and he ran into it.

Yugi felt like he'd been punched in the face. The orb seemed to have locked itself in place and when Yugi ran into it the force knocked him backwards. Sitting on the sandy ground now he pressed both hands over his face, trying hard to rid himself of some pain by applying pressure to the side of his face that had been injured. The orb hovered sadly in front of him, making concerned noises as it tried to apologise.

"Yugi are you ok?" Ryoura asked as he knelt by Yugi's side, placing a hand on the others shoulder. Bakura stood behind him, looking at the orb and then at Yugi. When Yugi nodded, though it was clear he was in pain, Ryoura sighed. "You know he's right, you shouldn't go running into that temple without thinking. Plus it's dark! Do you ever watch scary movies? Everyone _knows_ all the bad stuff happens in the dark."

Yugi took his hand away from his face and looked at Ryoura sadly. "But... Yujhi..."

"I know..." Ryoura frowned also, but before he could say anymore Bakura spoke.

"Yugi, if something happens to you on the way in, you'll never be able to save him." Bakura stated, folding his arms and closed his eyes. "It would be best to even up the odds by waiting until morning, when your well rested and your magic has had time to replenish itself."

Ryoura watched as Yugi looked from Bakura back to the temple with a sort of longing. It hurt Ryoura to see anyone look so desperate and so sad. Yugi missed his lighter half, he'd blamed himself for the loss of the boy all those months ago, and now he was so close to saving him it must be horrible to be told to wait. But Yugi took a deep breath and released it shakily, then nodded.

"Ok, come on..." Ryoura got to his feet and help Yugi up, who seemed to lose all energy and spirit as they made their way back to the camp. But, dull as he seemed, Ryoura didn't need magic to sense how worked up he must have been inside. When they reached the camp he asked Ilia if she could do anything for him, as it would be impossible for him to sleep in the state he was in.

"Well..." Ilia muttered thoughtfully, "I could use a spell I learned when I was younger. It helps clear the mind and relax the body."

"Great, thanks," Ryoura smiled making his way back to the campfire. Everyone except himself and Ilia had retired to their tents for the night, each of the group having their own, and the camp was growing quiet. Throwing some sand over the fire to put it out, Ryoura sighed. _"I could go for a spell like that about now..."_

Ever since he had been warned that he might be in danger, he had tried to stay near Bakura as much as possible, as the spirit had instructed, but that was proving more of a difficult task then he first thought. Bakura had begun to notice Ryoura's odd behaviour, so Ryoura had to keep his distance to avoid rising suspicion, meaning he couldn't stay near his yami without concerning him.

He eventually made his way to his tent and lay down to sleep, but spent the next hour or two just listening to the sounds around him, which was really no more then the odd shuffle of someone turning in their sleep after Ilia had used her magic to help Yugi sleep. As the minutes crept by Ryoura's eyes became tired, and though he was worried about the lost soul, fatigue from the days activities overcame fear, and his mind drifted asleep.

Again, the dream that had been haunting his mind every few nights came back. Once again he felt like he was drowning, that eerie voice taunted him, Bakura collapsed, blood-covered and Yugi would slay invisible enemies. And then that cry of pain. Why was that voice to familiar?

It was at this point of the dream that Ryoura would usually jerk awake, but for once it wasn't the dream that awoke him, it was the loss of oxygen.

His gaze met a pair of eyes of a blood-lust red when his eyes shot open, his voice lost to fear as he felt the person's hand press harder over his mouth. He tried to move his arms to try and push the person away, but a searing pain shot through his wrists. He couldn't see, but he knew his wrists were bound by magic. Breaths quickening from fear, he froze as the voice chuckled.

"Shh... don't be afraid... your death shall be much slower then the others..."

Ryoura gasped as a dagger's point pressed against the side of his face right beside his eye, the person twisting it playfully and letting it pierce his skin slightly. The persons eyes narrowed in obvious enjoyment.

"Poor, poor Ryoura..." the figure taunted, moving the dagger away from Ryoura's face. As he did, he muttered a short spell under his breath and the blade glowed an eerie red. The figure held the dagger to his face and grinned, the red light casting sinister shadows over his features. "You should not have told anyone you could see me... I may not have decided on making you suffer _this_ much..."

Ryoura's eyes grew wide as the light hit the persons face. _"Yugi!"_

The spirit within Yugi's body smirked and slashed and red blade down, slicing through Ryoura's flesh and releasing a tortured scream from the teens mouth.

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

1 An Obelisk is a tall, four-sided pillar with a pyramid-like top. The top is plated with gold, to 'catch the first rays of light' in the day.

AHAHAHAHA! I'm so frickin EVIL! **XD**  
Poor Ryoura! -glomp- Why do I make all the bad stuff happen to you and Yugi...  
**Ryoura:** 'Cause we get the most pity...  
Aww... poor thing -huggle-  
Can you tell I've been reading **Eldest**? -sweatdrops- My writing seems to reflect off the book I'm reading at the moment, that's why theirs a little more detail. Hope you guys don't mind that.  
Ok, I hope you guys enjoy that chappy! It took me frickin' long enough, didn't it? Now, unless I change my mind (which I probably will) the next chappy will by fairly violent. So look forward to that! (in the next year -sweatdrop-)  
Please review, and slán slán for now!  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef  



	9. Destroyed in an Instant

Hey everyone! Ok, this chappy ain't as violent as I first thought, but hopefully you'll like it!

Thankies muchly to the peeps who reviewed, you guys are the best! One thing, though. How can the last chapter have gotton 25 hits and only 4 reviews O.o; I don't get it, but meh, enjoy peeps!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 

"This is talking"  
_"These are thoughts"_

** Chapter Eight - Destroyed in an Instant **

Bakura jerked awake and sat up quickly at the sound of his hikari's cry, throwing the blanket that was covering him away and pushing himself to his feet. In the second it had taken to get to his feet, the night had gone deathly quiet, causing Bakura's heart to pound with anxiety. _"Ryoura!"_ he called through their mind link as he threw the front part of his tent open, cursing slightly when he remembered the barriers Ryoura had set around his mind, preventing any contact.

He darted across the camp, lit only by the quickly setting moon, and burst into his hikari's tent, freezing when he found no one there. Looking up, he noticed the back of the tent was shredded open, and quickly darted through it, but there was still no sign of his hikari. In little more then ten seconds, his lighter half had completely disappeared.

"What's going on?" Steve called as he stumbled out of his own tent, looking around in bewilderment. Joe stumbled out of his tent also, tripping over his over his discarded shoes and landing face-first in the sand. Steve was already pulling on his jacket and had his shoes on by the time he was out of the tent. He caught sight of Bakura a short distance away, looking around quickly. "Bakura what's going on?" he called, running towards him.

"I don't know where he is..." Bakura whispered, spinning around and looking to the east, then turning again and looking west. He tried desperately to sense Ryoura's consciousness, but he found nothing, not a trace in any direction. "I don't know where he is!" he yelled frantically, shutting his eyes tight and clenching his fists as he threw magic out in all directions. _"Ryoura? Ryoura!"_ he screamed in his mind, but there was no response from the being at the other end of his link.

"Bakura, calm down!" Steve grabbed Bakura's shoulders as the spirit began to look around frantically again.

"Don't," Bakura yelled, hitting Steve's arm away and glaring at the teen, "tell me what to do!"

"Guys! Yugi and Ryoura are gone!" Joe called from the camp as he darted away from Yugi's tent towards Ilia, who had not yet appeared. Pulling the tent door back Joe froze for a moment then turned towards the others. "Steve, get over here! Ilia's hurt" he called before he slipped into the tent.

Fear struck Steve hard when he heard Joe call him, and he quickly darted towards his girlfriend's tent. He nearly tore the tent down in his rush to get in, dropping to Ilia's side. The girl was unconscious and lying on her side, with a small line of blood running down her face from a cut somewhere under her hair. Her Millennium Necklace was nowhere to be seen. "Ilia?" Steve whispered softly, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face and placing his hand lightly on her head, trying to find the injury without hurting her. He could feel a small amount of blood oozing from a deep cut in the side of her head. "What happened?"

"I think I found the 'weapon'," Joe said, lifting up a rock about the size of a baseball and showing it to Steve. Sure enough, it had a small amount of blood on it. From the deepness of the injury and the size of the rock, both teens feared her skull might have been broken by the force that knocked her unconscious.

Sickened, but more worried, Steve leant closer to Ilia and frowned. "Ilia? Ilia can you hear me?" he whispered, trying to get a reaction out of her. He received none. He slid an arm under her thin form and lifted her up slowly, letting her head lean against his chest as he hugged her lightly. "Ilia?" he tried again, "Ilia, please wake up..."

Joe growled and pushed his way out of the tent. "Bakura!" he called towards the tomb-robber at the other side of the camp, but the spirit didn't respond. "Bakura, get over here! We need your help, Ilia's hurt!"

_"Ryoura!"_ Bakura called through his mind, using enough force to try and shatter the barrier between him and his hikari. He gasped when he met another force blocking his connection, a completely different signature of magic. _"Whoever took him has very powerful magic."_ he thought, getting more worried with each passing second. He had enough sense to know he couldn't run blindly into the desert in search of his hikari and Yugi, but logic was quickly fading. He couldn't stand still much longer.

"Bakura!" Joe yelled again, grabbing Bakura's arm and spinning him around angrily. He earned a glare from the tomb-robber, who pulled his arm away from Joe with ease, but the blond didn't falter in the slightest. "Are you deaf? Ilia's hurt! Get your ten-thousand-year-old butt over there and help her!"

"I don't have time! Ryoura's in danger and Yugi may be too!" Bakura yelled, though admittedly he had almost forgotten about Yugi. He was worried about Yugi, yes, but only a fraction of the amount of worry he felt for Ryoura's safety.

"So is Ilia! Can't you help her first?"

Steve ignored the argument going on outside and sat with his legs folded and hugging Ilia lightly to himself. He called her again and again, volume rising from the worry building inside him, but she was still deeply unconscious. "Who did this to you...?" he whispered, eyes shining as he looked at Ilia's pained expression.

"She will live."

Steve's head jerked upwards and he almost yelled in shock, but fear stole his voice from him. A man had appeared inside the tent directly in front of him, standing tall and silent save from the monotone voice with which he spoke, a long cream-coloured robe covering his form and a brown bag at his side.

"That is... if you let me help." The man finished, stepping forward. Steve didn't even react when the man reached down, merely following the strange person hand as it rested over the wound on Ilia's head. A soft golden glow emitted from his hand for a few seconds, then he pulled away, the wound completely healed. The man took a step back, a frown still set on his face as he watched Steve run his fingers through Ilia's hair, searching for the injury. "She will awaken soon."

Steve looked up from Ilia and met the man's gaze, deep orbs of icy blue staring right into his darker blue eyes. He shuddered when his eyes met the man's; they were so deep and wise, but completely lifeless, like a corpse. "Who are you?"

The man walked past Steve without uttering a word, pushing the flap covering the entrance to the tent aside and strolling out. On sight of the new arrival, Bakura and Joe fell silent, all eyes locked on him. The man glanced at Joe before letting his gaze land on Bakura, nodding his head in acknowledgement. "Bakura."

"Shadi?" Bakura said, his voice calm but surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I have been trying to summon enough strength to take on a physical form for some months now," Shadi began, ignoring the bewildered looks he was getting from Joe and Steve, who had just moved himself to sit outside the tent, still close enough to keep an eye on Ilia. "I was unable to track you by your Millennium Items, as a barrier had been placed around them, hiding your path, but there was an erratic explosion of magic from one of the items that led me here," he looked around at the camp and his eyes narrowed. "But it seems I was too late."

"Then... you know what's going on?" Joe asked eagerly.

Shadi looked at Joe with his ice-cold eyes, causing the teen to shift uncomfortably, then said, "I believe so. I trust you all know of the Lost Soul that has been following the Pharaoh's successor?"

"You mean Yugi? Ya, we know," Steve answered, glancing back at Ilia before focussing once again on Shadi. There was something unsettling about this person, it was as if he had no life in him at all. _"And what did he mean when he said he was trying to get a physical form? Is he a ghost?"_

"The soul has taken full control of Yugi's body and taken your friend, Ryoura, to the temple." He paused when Bakura spun around and stared at the building behind him, as did Steve and Joe. "I do not know of the spirit's intentions, but in taking Ryoura he has taken the Millennium Ring, as well as the Millennium Necklace from the girl. Without Millennium Items, your group will never enter further then the second floor below the entrance floor."

Steve blinked and looked back from the temple to Shadi. "Entrance floor? So the real rooms are underneath the building?"

"What do you mean we can't get in?" Bakura interjected, hands clenched by his side.

"When the temple was built ten thousand years ago, the Millennium Item's had been created at the same time. Because entering the temple was so dangerous, it was decided it would be protected by a special seal, which could only be broken by Millennium Magic."

"But Bakura and Ilia have Millennium Magic, don't they?" Joe asked before Bakura could say anything, scratching his head. He was becoming increasing confused about the Millennium Items with each passing day. "Shouldn't that work?"

Shadi shook his head, "They do not require enough power on their own, they would need an Item to channel the correct amount."

"Then what do we do?" Bakura almost yelled in frustration. Every passing second was just more wasted time in his mind. If they couldn't come up with a solution quickly, then he would just go to the temple and find a way to break the accursed seal himself.

"I will accompany you and lend the power of my Millennium Item to your cause." Shadi answered before he turned and strode over to Steve. The teen got to his feet quickly, intent on defending himself if he need to, though he doubted he could stand up to someone with a Millennium Item. Reaching into the bag at his side, however, the man produced something that silenced the entire camp. Even Bakura quietened. "I believe this would do well in your hands."

"How did... you get this?" Steve gawped, looking at the item in Shadi's hands. He didn't reach up to take the item offered to him, but simply stared. "That belongs to Ilia's brother." Shadi looked at the Millennium Rod in his hands, rolling it over in his palm. "I visited Mark Ishtar and retrieved the Item from him. He had been misusing it's powers and no longer deserved to hold it. I also took the Millennium Eye, but I shall not ask you to use that."

"But why are you giving it to me?" Steve took a step away from the Rod. He didn't want anything to do with that thing, he had no idea how to use it!

"Because you _are_ the rightful owner of this particular Millennium Item. It's in your blood-line."

"But-"

"Take the item and stop wasting time Kaiba," Bakura growled, storming over and tearing the Rod from Shadi and grabbing Steve's wrist, pressing the item into his palm. "We don't have time for this, we have to go!"

"Steve? What's going on?"

Steve looked behind himself as Ilia emerged from the tent, looking as confused about the situation as he felt. "Ilia! Are you ok?"

Ilia nodded, though she looked flustered. "Ya, I'm fine, but my Necklace is gone!"

"We'll explain that on the way," Bakura said in an edgy tone, it was clear he was trying to keep himself calm. "Let's go!"

"Bakura is correct," Shadi agreed. "The longer we wait the more dangerous our foe becomes. We must move quickly." With that, he turned and began walking quickly towards the temple, followed closely by Bakura, who seemed to be trying to over-take him. _"I shall not be able to remain with your group for much longer."_ Shadi spoke, using the connection he had with his own Items to speak with Bakura through mind.

_"Why not?"_ Bakura's emotions were wide open to Shadi because of his lack of care to protect them, and worry drenched his words along with anger at the amount of time they had wasted.

_"The magic I will use to open the door will take the last of my energy. I will not be able to remain in solid for after that. The Millennium Key and Scales, as well as the Eye, will be transported to the nearest holding for them."_

_"And where's that?"_

Shadi remained silent, but that answered Bakura's question.

_"In the temple? So whatever spirit has possessed Yugi will be able to use them for himself?"_ Shadi nodded and Bakura growled. _"Don't you think that's a bit careless? Giving three Millennium Items to the enemy while he already holds three himself? We'll only have the Kaiba to rely on and I doubt that's enough!"_

_"And neither does he have the experience to open the seal. I give him the item because he is the only one able to control it. I would have given it to you, but it would not have worked. As you well know yourself, to use someone else's Millennium Item you must defeat them in a Shadow Game."_

_"What about the Millennium Eye? The owner of that is dead."_

_"In which case I claimed ownership of it, and I cannot simply give it to you. Unlike when Ishizu gave her Necklace to Yugi, you do not possess the same power as the Millennium Puzzle, you cannot simply take control of it. I'm sorry, but I cannot give you an item and we do not have time for a Shadow Game."_

Bakura cursed under his breath, feet stamping hard on the stone path leading to the temple. Ilia, Joe and Steve followed silently, Steve sticking close to Ilia side and watching her worriedly as she cleaned the drying blood off her face, Millennium Rod clenched tight in his hand.

"Hey guys?" Joe suddenly voiced as the group quickened their pace and ran towards the centre of the temple. "Where's that weird ball of light gone?"

* * *

"Stupid... get away from me!" 'Yugi' yelled, swatting the ball of glowing light away as it bounced hard against his head again. It had changed colour slightly, it's white light now holding a light shade of red, showing it was angered. Summoning some magic he sent a wave at the glowing orb, throwing it back against the wall of the temple, where it fell and bounced soundlessly off the ground, where it remained, trying to recover.

Using the Millennium Puzzle to grant himself extra strength, he pulled on the rope in his other hand, pulling Ryoura down the remaining stone steps. The teen's wrists were bound together in a red-hot rope of magic, the end of which the spirit had gripped in his hand, dragging Ryoura along the floor behind him. A long, deep cut ran from the top of Ryoura's upper-arm to his elbow, but no blood seemed to flow from it. It did glow a fiery red, however, giving the impression a line of fire ran down the teens arm. It was cause Ryoura continuous excruciating pain, but no matter how loud or how hard he screamed, not a sound came from his mouth. The spirit had muted his cries the instant he'd injured him.

The spirit stopped when he reached a large stone door, the very door that was closed off to him without access to a Millennium Item. He grinned, looking down at th hand his had hit the orb away with, examining then Ring and Necklace that he held in it. He had more then enough.

Stepping forward, and dragging Ryoura's writhing form with him, he held up the Items in his hand and pressed the Millennium Eye symbol on the Ring into an imprint of the symbol sculpted into the rock. A strong glow erupted from the Item and the spirit grinned as the large stone doors opened wide before him. Pulling the Ring out he walked forward, noting how the doors began to close the instant he removed the item. Magic from the item had lit up the same mist-filled trenches along the walls that Yugi, Ryoura and Bakura had found in the trap, so he didn't need to put effort into using magic to light his way.

The orb on the floor floated up slowly as it seemed to recollect itself, jumping high when it noticed the closing doors. It darted towards them, but was only just lucky enough to slip through before the doors closed. The spirit was already dragging Ryoura down another flight of steps by the time the orb caught up, and it quickly began it's routine of flying around the spirits head and bouncing off him angrily.

Cursing the spirit once again hit the orb aside. "I don't know what or who you arm," he growled, "but if you don't stop bothering me, I'll just have to make this boys death hurt tenfold." That seemed to slow the orb for a moment, before it bounced hard against the spirits head, like a rock, and knocked him to the floor.

Growling, the spirit summoned a ball of magic and leaned back, throwing his hand against Ryoura's stomach and pushing the ball of magic inside the teens body. He lifted the silencing curse of the teen in time for him to scream in agony at the assault, then silence him again, though his scream echoed about the temple. The orb had frozen in mid-air at that, and the spirit grinned, "Do we have an understanding? You cannot stop me, so you may as well prevent his death from hurting any more then it does."

Another bounce to the head answered his question. The orb wasn't trying to protect Ryoura from pain -though it would have loved to- it was trying to protect his life. It wasn't going to agree to let him die.

The spirit cursed again and blasted the orb back with a blast of magic, pulling himself to his feet and continuing on. He knew the orb would only be immobilised for a minute or two, but any minute he had without a hit from that thing was welcomed.

It only took him a few minutes to find the room he was looking for.

On the fourth floor down he entered a large room, the walls, like all the others, lined with hieroglyphs and painting of images from the book of the dead. But the pictures in this room held no paintings of God's such as Osiris, Hathor, Isis, Thoth or Ma'at, like the rest of the rooms had, but of Seth. The God took up the entire top-half of the back wall, and under him lay a swaying green image that looked like a river. It didn't seem intimidating, until the viewer looked closer and noticed the images of numerous people lying in the river, as if part of the currant, with pained, mournful expression.

Below the painting, though, was a pool of black water. It looked like oil or tar, but it was odourless and far to fluid to be either. Dragging Ryoura across the room, who had resorted to gasping for breath as screaming, though mute, drained his energy, the spirit walked up the few steps leading to the black pool and dragged Ryoura up beside him, peering into the black water. "Time I was rid of you," he stated, glaring down at Ryoura. He blasted the orb away as it darted for him; he didn't want to be interrupted.

Kneeling down on one knee next to Ryoura he hovered a hand over his form and the glow instantly disappeared from his arm, letting Ryoura's body relax slightly as the pain began to subside, though he continued to gasp for breath. He released the boy from the silencing spell, but quickly grabbed the teen by the hair and forced him to his knees, causing him to yelp in pain.

"Do you know what this is?" the spirit asked, pointing at the pool. Ryoura didn't respond until the spirit clenched his hair tighter, then forced out a week 'no'. The spirit had the feeling Ryoura's vision was so blurred he didn't even know what he was pointing at, but he didn't bother questioning him on it. "It's called 'The Doorway of Great Darkness', in your tongue. It's the very thing you and your friends, Yugi and Bakura, have been looking for all this time... This is the place where you can draw a spirit from the Shadow Realm and bring them out."

Ryoura blinked his eyes hard to clear his vision at this news, trying hard to ignoring the burning in his arm as blood began to pour from it now that the spell had been removed. This was the place where they could get Yujhi back?

The spirit chuckled coldly, causing Ryoura to shiver. "But only if used correctly, and I'm afraid I'm not planning on saving your friend." He gripped Ryoura's hair tighter and pulled him forward over the water, so he was looking directly into his darkened reflection on the waters surface. "I'm here to be rid of you... so enjoy your last look at what was the only way to save your friend..." he gripped the side of the pool and smirked, a glint in his red eyes, "because you'll never see it again..."

Ryoura gasped in what air he could in the second he had to react before his vision turned black, the spirit pushing his face into the water. He struggled against the spirits force, trying desperately to get his head above water, but he was easily over-powered. Images of people flashed before his mind; his mother and father, Bakura, Joe, Steve, Yujhi, Yugi and Ilia...

His mind began to slip from him, but into a very strange unconsciousness. It felt more like his mind was slowly being pulled into the water surrounding him, energy leaving his body quickly.

His lungs burned as he struggled to hold his breath, but eventually he could hold it no more. Oxygen escaped him and the black water filled his mouth.

And everything in his world died in that instant.

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

No comment... please read and review.  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef


	10. Bakura's Failure

Hello people! I'm writing this after I've written the chappy, so me is very tired... Still, gonna do responses now! Yeepie!

**Response to reviews:**  
**Sorceress Vanessa:** Awww, come back S.V.!  
**Ryoura:** Ya, I'm still here! -huggles S.V.-  
See, doncha feel special? He's got a huggle just for you! Glad you like the chappy and hope you like this one too!

**yugirules:** Bwha! All fear my final sentences! Glad you liked it, though ya, it was a very sctive chappy, no time for pauses in the whole thing. T'would make a cool eppie! **XD** Hope yaz like this chappy too!

**BookDragon:** Heehee, you'll just have to read and see! Glad you liked it, and thankies so so much for reviewing! -glomp-

**pagethereviewer:** You're not the only one, Ryoura's my fave original character ever! That's probably why I pick on him too... but he's still my fave!  
**Ryoura:** And she's planning on using me in original stories but with a name-change!  
See! That's how much I love him! -glomp- I even have an original story-line with the basic idea of Ryoura and Bakura's friendship in a dif plot-line!  
**Ryoura:** Now she's just gotta stop being so lazy and start writing it. **XD**  
Exactly... thankies for the review ad hope you enjoy the chappy!

**Chicary:** I know... I'm evil...  
**Ryoura:** To put it lightly.  
Yup. Glad you like the way I wrote the whole Millennium Item thing; I always see it working kinda like that. **XD** The spirit's identity will be revealed... next chappy I think, so look forward to that! Hope you like this chappy and thankies fo reviewing!

**Warning:** Anti-climatical scene ahead -sweatdrops-

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 

"This is talking"  
_"These are thoughts"_

** Chapter Nine - Bakura's Failure **

The spirit chuckled lightly and pulled Ryoura's body out of the black water as soon as he stopped moving. Tossing him backwards, he allowed the teens body to land hard on the stone steps leading up to the pool. He smirked when he noticed the boy was still breathing normally. "Perfect..."

He had been concerned that what he had learned about the pool would have been wrong in some way, but he needn't have been. The pool had no affect on a living beings physical state.

"Which means your life force is mine for the taking..." he hissed, a sinister grin set of his features, as he reached down and pressed the palm of his hand on Ryoura's forehead. "Yugi's life force would be enough to sustain me, but I'd rather keep him around a little longer. _You_, on the other hand, are disposable..."

As he spoke, a soft glow emitted from the Millennium Puzzle around his neck, and his hand glowed brightly as he began to drain all the physical energy from the body before him. Ryoura didn't react as his life force quickly dwindled, but his breathing slowed more and more until, after only a few second, he stopped breathing completely. His body fell limp and lifeless as the spirit drew his hand away, breathing heavily at the amount of energy tearing through him.

The spirit forced himself to his feet and tilted, as if dizzy, before stumbling down the stone steps slightly. His mind was racing and his -or rather Yugi's- body burned with the abnormal rushing of two life forces inside the one vessel. If he didn't rid himself of some of the energy soon, Yugi's body could go into shock and shut down completely, killing them both. _"Focus!"_ the sprit yelled mentally at himself, a powerful glow emitting from the Millennium Puzzle and enveloping him.

An excruciating pain, like and electric shock, coursed through him, jabbing at ever nerve in his body, causing him to yell in pain and fall to his knees, his voice a mixture of his own and Yugi's. He could feel his energy draining, the very life force going through him draining with shocking speed. At the same time, however, he also felt himself being removed from Yugi's, one of the strangest feelings he'd ever felt. It was almost like his soul had been liquefied and was slowly pouring into another body, which was slowly forming beside Yugi's.

And then it stopped, and the spirit steadied himself as Yugi's body collapsed on the floor beside him, drained from the over-exertion the spirit had put it through. The spirit gasped heavily, trying to steady his breathing, and held his hands in front of himself. He flexed his fingers and looked down over his body.

He did not wear the identical clothes of Yugi, as what usually happened when two souls split from a body, but the clothes he wore when he soul had appeared in the spirit world; a pair of semi-tight black pants, shoes and loose, sleeveless shirt. He grinned at himself and clenched his hands into fists as he looked down at Ryoura.

"Thank you very much, Bakura, your life force was just what I needed. Oh wait, you can't here me, can you?" he asked in fake shock, turning to look down, once again, at the deep pool of black water. Somewhere within that lake of blackness, lay the soul of the body that lay lifeless by his side. "Having a nice swim?" he said to the pool, then chuckled, "It's about time I fed my revenge, _Bakura_..."

Looking down at his hands once again, as if to make sure he was still solidly there, he smirked. "With a physical form, I can now do some serious damage... but first," he spun on his heel and began to walk towards another flight of steps leading even down into the temple, "I have a number of items to collect..." He looked back at Yugi's unconscious form as he began to descend the steps, eyeing the Puzzle he had left around the younger boys neck. He grinned and whispered, in a playful voice, "I'll come back for the Millennium Puzzle later... until then... take care of it for me, young one..."

* * *

Ryoura opened his eyes almost as soon as his world turned black, jerking slightly when he found himself underwater in the all too familiar setting he had seen in his dreams for the past number of months. _"Wh-what? How'd I get here?"_ he thought fearfully, covering his mouth in an almost automatic reaction whenever he caught a glimpse of this place in his dreams.

Only this was not a dream, and unlike in his dreams, the true horrors of his situation were revealed to him. For even after he covered his mouth, he realised the water that had gushed into his did not bother him in the slightest.

How could it when he wasn't breathing.

_"What's going on?"_ Ryoura yelled mentally as he began to panic. He wanted to take a breath, to in some way keep a connection with the world of the living, but his body refused to let him. It just seemed to refuse to attempt to breath in the slightest. _"What's happening to me, what's going on?"_

And then that chilling whisper that haunted him echoed through the water around him, as clear and cold as if the speaker was whispering directly in his ear.

"Having a nice swim?" a chilling, amused chuckle, "It's about time I fed my revenge, _Bakura_..."

_"Who are you?"_ Ryoura called out through his mind to the voice, but after a few short moments he realised he wasn't going to take a response. Fear began to overtake him and he began to shiver uncontrollably, but his heart did not race like it usually did. His heart was silent, too. Reminded of his bodies situation, he tried to take a deep breath again, but couldn't. He tried again and again, but to no avail, only causing him to shiver more and his vision, though unaffected by the water around him, blur behind tears. _"This can't be happening... This can't be happening!"_

Without looked his reached down and grabbed the chains around his ankle, knowing it was there from the countless times he had dreamed about it, and tugged hard on them, panic blinding logic. _"I've got to get out of here!"_

A groan from nearby caused Ryoura to jerk upwards and looked around, noticing for the first time he was not alone. About a metre so away from him was another human, chained to the ground as he was, though their body looked asleep, floating lifelessly in the water. Beyond them was another human, and then another. All around him were dozens, hundreds of souls just like the first, lifeless and still. Blinking in shock, Ryoura spun around, looking at everyone around him, all unfamiliar faces.

Except the one closest to his left.

"Yujhi?"

* * *

"Once the door opens, you must hurry through." Shadi said as he lifted the Millennium Key from around his neck, holding it out in front of him just centimetres from the slot he had to insert it into. "My power will only last a short while, and once it runs out, the doors shall begin to close once more."

The group nodded in understanding and tensed their postures, ready to run. Shadi looked back to make sure they were ready, then pushed the Millennium Key into the slot, a bright glow erupting from it before the stone doors began to open just as they had for the spirit. Bakura, Joe, Steve and Ilia were quick to get through the doorway once there was enough room to squeeze through, which proved a smart move as Shadi's magic ran out much quicker then first anticipated.

The group turned to face Shadi, but instead found the man had disappeared, much to the surprise of everyone but Bakura. Three Items -the Scales, Eye and Key- lay glowing on the floor momentarily, before exploding into a stream of light and shooting past the group at an alarming speed.

"What the heck-?" Joe spun around, watching the 'Item's speed out of sight before looking back at the stone doors as they closed. "What the heck's going on? What happened to the robey guy?" he asked as the group took off after Bakura, who had already turned and started making his way to the staircase at the opposite side of the room.

"Shadi's a spirit," Bakura answered simply, "he used up all of the magic that he used to become physical to open that door."

"What!" Joe exclaimed in shock, shaking his head. "Ok, that's the THIRD person we've met that's a frickin' ghost! Can our lives get any weirder?"

Whatever answer both Ilia and Steve looked like they were about to give him was cut short when Bakura cried out, dropping to his knees instantly with one fist pressed against his chest and the other leaning on the floor to hold him up.

"Bakura! What's wrong?" Ilia asked when she and the other two teens stopped around the tomb-robber. She couldn't see how he could have been injured, but he had a pained, as well as shocked, expression on his face.

"Something's happened to Ryoura," Bakura whispered, his voiced unusually forced, as if he was in shock. "He's hurt... badly..."

* * *

The small orb of light floated slowly off the ground, making odd, squeak-like noises that sounded highly confused. It seemed to be slightly dazed by the blow it had received from the spirit, and was now trying to recover. It jerked back to reality and zoomed directly to Yugi and Ryoura's side, bouncing worriedly through the air above them and emitting worried tones as it seemed to try and awaken them.

Pausing suddenly, the orb floated down near Ryoura's face, nudging him lightly, but getting no response. Realising what had happened, the orb leapt back in surprise before floating to his side once more.

_"Do not worry... I will not let him steal away your life with such ease..."_ the spirit muttered. The orb floated down and leaned itself against Ryoura's arm, waves of light radiating from it and running over Ryoura's unmoving form. _"My life force is very limited, but I shall give you what I can to sustain you..."_

And so as the white light of the orb darkened to a pale blue, the small amount of life the spirit ha to offer was enough to get Ryoura's body breathing again, though only barely. The orbs glow dimmed so much that it almost became invisible in the dark room, at which point it stopped giving it's life force to the white-haired teen and dropped the ground, unable to even keep itself suspended in the air, as was it's nature. Flickering dimly like a weak light-bulb, it sat motionless on the floor between Ryoura and Yugi.

_"I'm afraid when your friends arrive,"_ gasped the spirit's exhausted voice, the orbs light flickering weakly as he spoke, _"we will have to take what we need from them..."_

* * *

"Bakura slow down!" Steve called after the racing tomb-robber as he ran as quick as he could down the steps without falling, holding onto Ilia's hand to help her keep up, while Joe ran ahead of him.

"Think he's lost his sense of hearing, pal," Joe called back, jumping the last few steps into the third floor and stumbling slightly before racing after Bakura again. News of his best friends danger had only served to speed his pace, and undoubtedly Bakura's. The spirits worry was enough to put them all on edge, though, because he always tried his best to hide his emotions.

And then they reached the fourth floor.

* * *

The spirit hummed tunelessly as he walked down the third flight of stairs he had reached since getting his own body, hands set casually in his pockets as he took in his surroundings. The walls were lined with paintings and carving telling many of the stories Egyptians had taken to heart in their time, like the weighing of the heart after death, how the Morning God Khepri began the day, and one of the more violent tales of how the God of Evil, Seth, chopped his brother Osiris to pieces and scattered his body throughout Egypt. _"A truly gruesome tale... perhaps Bakura would enjoy a role-play..."_ he chuckled, running his finger along the blade at his side, _"I could be Seth... and he Osiris..."_

The spirit's leisurely stroll was upset, however, when the wave of magic in the air shifted, interrupted, no doubt, by the entrance of another magical presence into a part of the temple nearby. He stopped in his tracks and cast his mind back, trying to pick up whatever trace of magic he could. The slight drop of magic he could sense from this distance was enough to tell him it was Bakura.

_"I thought I took all their Items!"_ he thought angrily, glaring down at the Ring and Necklace in his hands. He regretted not taking the Puzzle from Yugi when he had the chance, but his worry was short-lived as a grin spread across his face. _"Why should I worry? Yugi has neither the knowledge nor the intelligence to tap into the greatest of the Millennium Puzzle's power. Dangerous though he is, I'm sure I can counter him as long as I have these two Items, because one would not be strong enough. And once I collect whatever other Items are resting in this temple, they won't stand a chance..."_

Satisfied, he hung the Necklace and Ring around his wrists and put his hands in his pockets so as not to lose them. As he walked, he lifted his free hand and chuckled, letting his fingers run lightly along the stone wall. "But it may be best to keep them at bay a while longer..." as he spoke, wisps of black smoke floated from the wall his fingers slid over, "arise my creatures... attack the group should they try to come this way..." he whispered as monsters formed from the black smoke, snarling, hissing and spitting at each other, though listening obediently to their master. "But do not kill them..." the spirit warned his creatures once a dozen or so had appeared, then smirked back at them, "at least not all of them..."

The creatures seemed to almost chuckle with the same sinister amusement as their master.

* * *

"Ryoura!"

"Yugi!"

The group of four skidded to a stop by the sides of their collapsed comrades, Bakura and Joe by Ryoura, ignoring the weak flickering of the ball of light next to him, while Steve and Ilia knelt beside Yugi. Pulling them away from the stone steps so they didn't have to lie in such an uncomfortable position, Bakura smearing getting some of his light's blood on his shirt as he did so, they lay them both flat on the ground. Bakura wiped some of the blood on his hands off his pants grabbed Ryoura's wrist to check for a pulse, Ilia doing like-wise with Yugi.

"They're still breathing," Steve noted, looking from one to the other. The wound on Ryoura's arm was still bleeding, though much slower them before, and he looked very pale. Yugi seemed perfectly fine save his skin was slightly paler then usual and he had a bruise on his forehead from hitting the floor when he fell. Steve looked to Ilia and asked, "Is everything ok?"

Ilia nodded, placing a hand on Yugi's forehead and closed her eyes. Though she didn't have her Millennium Item, she could still use some spells using some of her own magic instead of Millennium Magic. This spell didn't take much energy, and she opened her eyes and sighed. "He's fine. His body's unharmed, but his soul's in some sort of weak shock... The spirit inside him's gone, but it must have put his soul on serious strain to be able to effect it at all..."

"No..." Bakura whispered to himself, pulling his hand away from Ryoura and shaking it, before pressing it harder against the teens forehead. Shutting his eyes, he concentrated hard, the growled and shook his head. "No... no!" he growled, getting frustrated, and did the same thing a third and forth time. "Don't do this Ryoura!"

Joe looked worriedly from Ryoura to Bakura, frowning. "Bakura, what's going on?"

Joe's words seemed to bring him back to reality, because Bakura suddenly stopped his procedure and stared at his hand, which was still placed on Ryoura's forehead. In a quiet voice, he muttered, as if only realising it himself, "His soul is gone..."

The group fell silent and all eyes turned to Ryoura.

"What?" Ilia breathed, shock evident in her voice.

"To... the Shadow Realm?" Bakura whispered to himself, pushing himself to his feet and ignoring the rest of the group as he turned around, staring at the wall behind the pool, his eyes growing wide as he mentally deciphered they hieroglyphs meaning. "He didn't..." he muttered, eyes dropped to the black pool.

"Is that..." Ilia stood up also, looking at the pool and then at the wall behind it. "'The Doorway of Great Darkness'?" she read, her voice confused. Then her eyes widened. "I've heard of this! Ryoura's soul isn't... in there, is it?"

"Why? Why's that bad?" Joe asked, still looking at his seemingly unconscious friend.

"This... This is a place where the High Priests of Ancient Egypt punished those that were handed somewhat of a death sentence..." Ilia explained, watching Bakura's hands clench into shaking fists out of the corner of her eye. "The moment the water enter's your body, it tears out your soul... Transports it elsewhere... And traps it..."

"So he's in the Shadow Realm?" Ilia bit her lip when Steve asked, "Not exactly. A soul only goes to the Shadow Realm by means of a Millennium Item of if you lose a Shadow Game... but this wasn't the case..." she glanced at Bakura, getting increasingly worried about what seemed to be a build-up of anger, "Ryoura's soul is trapped somewhere in between our World and the Shadow Realm..."

Bakura turned slowly away from the pool and looked down at Ryoura, the entire group watching his every move as if expecting him to lash out. But he had lost all the fight in him; he didn't want to hit anything or anyone, he just didn't think the knot in his chest would let him. But anger and the physical pain inside him insisted on revealing itself.

So he yelled. He yelled in agony at the physical pain he felt inside; he'd let Ryoura down, he had failed to protect his lighter half. He collapsed to his knees and took deep breaths, trying to calm the overwhelming feeling of anger towards himself. "How...?" he whispered in a shaky tone, falling forward onto his hands and knees. "How could this happen...?"

Joe blinked hard to try and suppress he burning tears that Bakura was provoking by his actions. "Bakura..."

"How could I let this happen?" Bakura yelled, punching the floor in rage.

Steve stepped forward, holding his hands out to try and calm the tomb-robber. "Bakura it's not your fault-"

"I was supposed to _protect_ him!" Bakura yelled, tearing at his hair, "I promised him! I promised I'd never leave him and I let that psycho get him!"

"Bakura calm down!" Ilia yelled to try and over voice him, "You won't be able to help him if you don't calm down and focus!"

Bakura shook his head violently, still pulling at his hair, "I can't help him, I've failed! He would have been better off without me!"

It was Joe who finally silenced Bakura's actions, by clenching his hand into a fist and striking him hard across the face. "Would you get a hold of yourself!" he yelled as he stood above Bakura, who was rubbing the side of his face. "I've known Ryoura longer then any of you and I _know_ what you just said is a lie! You know it too! Ryoura looks to you for strength, Bakura, so if you want to help him control yourself!" he pointed towards the pool of blackness, "Because knowing that weirdo he's probably found a way to spy on you from there!"

One thing Joe had gained from Ryoura; making jokes at the most serious of times to hide his fear and nervousness.

Bakura remained silent, staring at the floor, but nodded in agreement to what Joe had said.

"Good..." Joe sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He knew when his adrenaline ran down he would probably break down on sight of his friend, so he had to use it while he could. "Ilia, how can we help them."

"Well... not _we_ exactly..." Ilia said, eyes glancing to the side a few times before she looked over.

"Me?" Steve blinked, confused.

Ilia bit her lip. "You're the only one who can do it..."

Steve stared at her for a second, as if waiting for her to explain. The realisation his him and he looked down at the Millennium Rod in his hands. "What? With this? Oh no, nu-uh. I only took it cause Freaky-Eyed-Guy forced it on me!"

"Steve, the rest of us don't have any Millennium Items!" Ilia stated, looking down at Yugi, "he's out for the count and we can't use his Item... you're the only chance Ryoura has! And Yujhi too!"

"Yujhi," Steve asked, bewildered now, "I thought he was in the Shadow Realm!"

"His soul was taken, but he never lost the Shadow Game," Ilia explained, looking back at the black pool. "So his soul must have been trapped between both worlds... where Ryoura is."

Steve was very uneasy about the entire situation, but as he looked from Yugi to Ilia, to Joe then to Ryoura, he knew he really didn't have a choice. And one glare from Bakura sealed the deal. "Ok, I'll try, but you'll have to help me out!"

"Of coarse!" Ilia smiled proudly at him; she knew how much he hated getting involved in magic after everything he and his friends had been through, so to have him agree to help was a pretty big step.

Glancing nervously at Bakura he was slightly taken aback when he realised the thief's features had softened and he nodded in thanks, though he still had the feeling Bakura would have found something sharp and made him use the Item had he not agreed. Taking a deep breath he glared down at the Millennium Rod. _"Ok then... You're the reason Yujhi's in the Shadow Realm... and now your going to help me get him out..."_

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

Starnge place to end it, I know, but I'm KNACKERED! -starts falling asleep on the keyboard- Shouldn't be doing this at 12:05a.m. when I've got school in the morning...  
Ok, again, this was a sort of set-up chapter, but do not worry, the real good stuff should start the chappy after next! Not many left now... aww... -huggles fic ad Ryoura- **Ryoura:** Me's in a fweaky place -hugs back-  
Heehee, aww... anyways, hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are really appreciated (me lovies!), but not necessary. Just thought I'd say that coz I sounded like I was forcing it on yaz last chap -sweatdrops-  
Please review and slán slán for now!  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef


	11. Before my Yami

I have no good excuse for the lateness, except I got destracted dressing Yami as a sheep for halloween, making Kai jump into volcanoes, and making Yami chase Kai with a GUN while riding a REINDEER!  
Yep, welcome to my warped world **XD** In other words, I became temporarily obsessed with DeviantART -sweatdrops- Heheh... sorry.

I'll not do responces this chappy, but I promise I will next time! Thankies for all the reviews, they motivate me big time! -glomps reviewers-

Now, on with the story!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 

"This is talking"  
_"These are thoughts and mind-messages"_

** Chapter Ten - Before my Yami... **

_"Yujhi!"_ Ryoura called mentally to his friend, his voice non-existent without oxygen, even if he wasn't under water. His dark-haired friend made no reaction, remaining as eerily still as the others souls around him. Reaching his arm out -surprised by the amount of effort it took through the water- he grabbed Yujhi's shoulder and pulled the boy towards him, shaking him. _"Yujhi? Yujhi, wake up!"_

Still, no reaction. Ryoura was getting scared now, terrified by the sight of his friend so lifeless. He continued to try and call Yugi through mind, but it didn't seem to work, and shaking him was getting any more reaction then it had the first time.

_"What do I do?"_ Ryoura panicked, looking around as if to snap inspiration from something around him. Looking down at Yujhi's deathly relaxed face he frowned. _"If he can't hear me, it's because of a mental barrier... That I'm going to have to break..."_ he thought, grumbling. Breaking through a mental barrier wasn't exactly something he was ever thrilled to think about; he could hurt Yujhi and it was sort of an invasion of privacy, looking into someone else's thoughts and entering their soul room. But right now, he didn't seem to have a choice.

He placed his hands at either side of Yujhi's head and slowly let his magic slip out of his palms and run over the magical barrier surrounding his friend's mind, covering it with a light veil. Unlike most, he knew a much simple method of breaking barriers thanks to Bakura; constricting. It took only a minute to surround the entire barrier with a veil of his magic and prepare himself. _"Sorry I have to do this Yujhi."_

Ryoura clenched his hands into fists, pressed against the side of Yujhi's head, and at the same time the veil he had created clenched in around the barrier, pushing in from all sides and shattering the barrier in seconds. As soon as the barrier disappeared, he closed his eyes and lowered his head, trying to open up a connection between his mind and Yujhi's. _"Yujhi? Can you hear me?"_

There was silence for a second, them Yujhi's voice echoed in his mind, sounding scared and shocked. _"Ryoura?"_

Mentally sighing with relief, Ryoura allowed himself to relax and slipped into Yujhi's soul room, leaving the underwater world behind. He felt the all to familiar feeling of his mind moving from one place to another, and when he next opened his eyes he was standing in Yujhi's soul room. It looked very like Yujhi's bedroom, only much bigger, and there were many items that didn't exist in Yujhi's real room.

The room was the same shape as Yujhi's attic bedroom, but there was a large row of shelves lining the wall that used to have a door leading downstairs. On the shelves were a number of things -duel monster cards, a few toys- but it was mostly filled with pictures. And there standing in front of him, was a very confused and exhausted looking Yujhi, eyes darting around the room muttering, "My soul room? How'd I get here?"

"Yujhi!" Ryoura exclaimed, forgetting himself and everything around him for a second and charging at his friend. Yujhi barely had time to acknowledge Ryoura was there before he was tackled down and sent rolling across the floor, eventually finding himself sitting on the floor with Ryoura hugging him tightly. "Man, I've missed you buddy!" Ryoura grinned.

"R-Ryoura?" Yujhi looked up, a bewildered expression on his face. "How did you-? Where did-? How'd I get-?"

"Full sentences for accurate answers, my friend," Ryoura joked, still not letting go of the smaller teen. He didn't realise until the second he saw him how much he'd missed his friend, and the relief running through him was overwhelming. He wiped away the slowly emerging tears and smiled. "Are you ok?"

"How did I get here?" Yujhi asked, looking around his soul room. "Wasn't I just in a battle with Mark?"

"Mark?" Ryoura frowned, confused. "Yujhi, you had a match with Mark ages ago. You..." he looked at the floor and bit his lip, "You lost, and you were... sent to the Shadow Realm..."

"The Shadow Realm?" Yujhi blinked. Well, that explained the odd repetition of his match with Mark over and over again. Then his eyes widened. "Wait a sec', if I'm supposed to be in the Shadow Realm then why the heck are you here? Did you lose to someone too?"

"Uh..." Ryoura blinked, casting his mind back to the red-eyed Yugi that had practically drowned in to get him here. Looking at Yujhi he grinned. "That's not important! All that matters is your safe."

"If trapped inside your soul room in the Shadow Realm safe..." Yujhi muttered, looking around again at the room. "Still, it's a step up from the battles I've been repeating over and over again for... how long?"

"About... three months..."

"Three... months?" Yujhi blinked, shocked.

"But don't worry!" Ryoura said, finally letting Yujhi go from his hug and getting to his feet, pulling Yujhi up with him. "The others'll get us out soon, I'm sure of it!"

Yujhi sighed and looked up at Ryoura. "You think so?"

"Well..." Ryoura mused, causing Yujhi to frown. Seeing the teen was getting upset, Ryoura grinned and ruffled his hair. "If Pep' doesn't get us out soon, I'm give him a smack across the head, ok?"

Yujhi laughed and ran his hand through his messy hair. "Ok..."

* * *

Steve stepped up to the side of the pool and looked down into it, shivering slightly from nervousness. Collecting himself, he took a deep breath and sighed, then looked back at the people behind him. "Ok, so what do I have to do?"

"You have to use your Millennium Rod to open the barrier between this world and the dimension the others are in," Ilia explained. She seemed calm, but Steve could see she was worried by the way she clenched her hands then relaxed them again. "After that, you'll have to let your mind relax enough to see into the world beyond the barrier, and from there you have to seek out the others..."

Steve nodded, though he honestly hadn't a clue how to do anything she was saying. Clenching the Rod in his hand he looked down at it and bit his lip, holding it out in front of him so the Eye of the Rod was facing downward. _"What am I supposed to do?"_ he thought, frustrated and embarrassed at his ignorance.

But his body didn't seemed ignorant at all.

While his mind was still cursing himself, his arms raised above his head and he clasped the rod in both hands, his eyes sliding closed. Thoughts slowly calmed until his mind was blank, and for the first time Steve was aware of the soft waves of warmth radiating from the metal in his hands. It didn't make him feel physically different, but he had a strange sensation that a part of him had been unlocked that wasn't part of his physical being, but of his soul. _"Do the others feel this all the time?"_

"Has he done this before?" Joe asked, scratching the back of his head in confusion, eyes growing wide when a soft glow began to emit from the Rod in his friends hands, "'Cause he sure seems to know what he's doing!"

"It could be one of two things;" Bakura said, not getting up from the floor where he knelt next to Ryoura, "Marik may still inside the Rod, but I doubt that. With the amount of energy Mark drained from him, I'd say he's already passed on."

"And the second thing?" Joe asked, looking back at Bakura.

"He's a natural," Bakura shrugged, looking down at Ryoura so he wouldn't have to look up at Joe. He could almost feel the blond's confused stare, though. "If he is the reincarnation of Seto Kaiba, who was the reincarnation of the High Priest of Egypt, he probably has some influence from the High Priest of his past lives."

"High Priest?" Joe sniggered. "Steve used to by a holy guy?"

"Joe, it was different in Egypt. High Priests were in charged of ceremonies and offerings to the Gods, and Seth was one of the most powerful High Priest's ever," Ilia informed, not taking her eyes off Steve as he lowered the Rod in front of him, his arms out straight and the daggered end pointing towards his chest. "Let's just say you wouldn't want to get on his bad side. And if Steve's influence by him, I'm not surprised he knows what he's doing." Then she thought,_"Good thing to, because if he couldn't use the magic himself we'd by sunk."_

Steve took a deep breath and held it, focusing on the Millennium Rod and feeling the odd sense that something in his body was flowing into it. It didn't weaken him, but it was a weird sensation. Was this _his_ magic, flowing into the Rod?

And now he was aware of something else; there was something blocking his way to the water in the pool. He couldn't see it, and he knew it wasn't physically there, but somehow he just knew there was a wall on the surface of the water. A magical barrier that he had to break through. Focussing harder, he felt a sudden jolt as he accidentally poured a large amount of energy into the Rod. It was a bit of a shock, which subsided quickly, and he felt the radiating waves from the Rod grow stronger.

_"Now!"_ his mind screamed at him, and no sooner had the thought entered his mind did he Raise the Millennium Rod above his head and brought it down fast towards the water. It struck a hard surface, light exploded from where the Rod had struck, but the barrier didn't break. Pressing hard on the surface, the light grew stronger, and he found himself subconsciously giving his energy to the Rod.

The light was blinding him now, and he was forced to shut his eyes, but he just leaned harder on the surface, waves from the magic so strong it send gusts of wind through the air, but he held on and didn't let them push him away.

Then he felt the surface give way under him, his eyes shot open in shock, but his vision faded to black. His soul was pulled from his body, which fell limp but was stopped from falling into the water when Joe grabbed his shoulders. He could still feel the Millennium Rod in his hands, but all of a sudden the world around him muted and his vision fell in darkness, his soul dragged into the black pool that had claimed his friends.

* * *

_"Yugi... can you... can you hear me...?"_

"Who's there?" Yugi whispered, his eyes still shut. His mind seemed to had awoken, but his body hadn't. He could fell he was lying on a cold, stone surface, but his body ignored orders to open his eyes and move.

_"Yugi I'm... low on... energy... can't talk... long..."_

The voice sounded so exhausted and weak, Yugi couldn't help worry. "What do you want to say?"

_"Don't... don't panic when... something happens... to... Ryoura..."_

"Something happens to Ryoura?" Yugi asked, worried. "Why? What are you going to do to him?"

_"I won't hurt him... just don't... try to stop... me..."_

"What are you going to do to him?" Yugi repeated, more aggressively this time.

_"Just trust me..."_

"Trust you? Why should I? Who are you?" Yugi waited for a response, but everything around him had gone silent again. Slowly, he felt his consciousness returning to him, his body waking slowly. The voice had disappeared.

* * *

"So... what's with all the pictures?" Ryoura asked as he passed the rows of shelves. He picked up one of them, showing a picture or Yujhi and Yugi. Yugi was slightly faded and holding a Duel Monster card out to Yujhi with an insistent look on his face, while Yujhi was looking very critical. "You shouldn't be able to take pictures of spirits... should you?"

"Ryoura, this is _my_ soul room, I can have what I want here," Yujhi smiled, lying back on his bed. "Those are memories I have that are important to me..."

"Fixing your deck is an important memory?" Ryoura asked, his voice curious instead of sceptical.

"It's just... one of the few times we could relax and just talk to each other, without him worrying about his past or evil guys trying to steal the Puzzle..." Yujhi sighed, putting his hands behind his head and staring at the ceiling, smiling when he sensed Ryoura pick up another picture. "First day you and I met... Gotta say, it was a unique meeting."

Ryoura laughed as he looked at the picture; Yujhi was sitting on the floor with a confused and, yes, slightly scared look on his face, looking at Ryoura who was sitting on the floor and holding his stomach while laughing. Joe stood behind Ryoura, scratching the back of his head and smiling nervously at Yujhi. There were all about nine years old. "You didn't know what hit you!"

"Well you wouldn't either if a complete stranger jumped out of no where and screamed in your face," Yujhi chuckled slightly at the memory, turning his head to look at Ryoura. "If you were being introduced to someone and they suddenly popped out of no where like that, what would you say?"

Ryoura threw his arms out as if to hug someone, "I'd say, 'Where ya been broth-ah?'"

Yujhi laughed and shook his head. "Always the comedian..." he muttered, smiling. Then a thought occurred to him. "One question though... what happened to all your slang?"

"Slang?" Ryoura looked over at Yujhi as he picked another photo off the shelf, putting the last one back. "Whacha mean?"

"I don't think you've called a single person 'dude' in months," Yujhi pointed out, propping himself up on his elbows so he could see Ryoura better. "And you don't add 'man' before you talk to people anymore. You know, 'man, how'd you do that?' or 'how you doin' man?'. You used to say that stuff all the time, but it's kinda... disappeared...

"Oh that..." Ryoura chuckled, looking down at the picture of Yujhi and his parents, frowning. _"Hmm, how ironic."_ he thought in his fake amused tone. Sighing his placed the family picture back on the shelf. "I don't know... It was never really me saying all those things..."

"Say what now?" Yujhi asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"I wasn't always as happy as I acted," making his way over to the bed he sat down on the side beside Yujhi, "I just started acting like that one day, and everyone thought it was funny, so I kept it up. It was like I was afraid people would question me if I wasn't 'Happy-Go-Lucky-No-Problem Ryoura'..."

"So... was your entire personality some sort of act?" Yujhi asked, more confused now.

"At first..." Ryoura muttered, surprising Yujhi. "I was hyper when I was little, but not as loud," he looked over at Yujhi and grinned, "or as weird. But when I wanted people to leave me alone I just pretended I was fine. You wouldn't know because we hadn't met then, but lets just say I went through a rough spot in my life that I didn't want to talk about. So I pretended to be happy all the time so people wouldn't ask questions, and I kinda grew into the personality." "Then what's your real personality supposed to be like?"

Ryoura spread his arms and smiled. "You're looking at it. I dunno what it was, but I've become more comfortable with myself over the past... year I think it's been at this point... I just don't feel like I need to act a certain way for people to accept me. So now I act how I want cause I want to, not 'cause I have to."

"Huh..." Yujhi looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, taking in what Ryoura had been telling him. "Maybe it was Bakura. You did start acting differently after he showed up."

"Ya, you're right." Ryoura agreed, nodding. He then put on the most serious, book-worm voice he could pull off and said, "Bakura and the Millennium Ring can be described as; 'a hazard to ones health, the human race and jellyfish'," he smiled at Yujhi's expression at his last choice of words, his voice lapsing back to normal, "but I don't regret a second since we met. Don't get me wrong, I _would_ have preferred we didn't have to visit the Shadow Realm or the hospital so many times, but if it meant changing anything between Bakura and me, I'd go through it all again. He brought out the real me and he didn't even have to try!"

Yujhi smiled at Ryoura and sat up, looking over and plucking the photo of himself and Yugi he had made materialise on the cupboard next to his bed. Looking down at, he smiled at the expressions on both his and Yugi's faces. "I know what you mean, we've both changed... Before Yugi, I wouldn't have stood up to a ten-year-old if they'd taken the Millennium Puzzle!"

Ryoura laughed. "Ya, you would have just asked _all_ politely if you could have it back."

"And if they said 'no' I wouldn't have done anything, I'd just tell you or something, seeing as Steve would blow a fuse and Joe would probably hit them..." Yujhi grinned, still looking at the picture. "But when Mark was fighting me in the Shadow Realm, and I was exhausted and aching all over... I didn't give up. Before I would have quit, I wouldn't have wanted to suffer like I did, but I just _refused_ to let myself do that. I know such a difference in me sounds weird, but I knew that Yugi would have done the same and for some reason that motivated me."

"Looks like Yugi and Pep' were useful for something after all," Ryoura smiled brightly, then sighed and looked down.

Yujhi raised an eyebrow and frowned. "You worried aren't you?"

Ryoura instantly put a smile back on his face -though fake or not Yujhi couldn't tell, he'd become good at faking happiness- and shook his head. "Nah! Maybe about Pepper's mental state, but who isn't?" he dropped a hand on Yujhi's shoulder and grinned. "Don't _you_ be worrying. They'll get us out, you'll see!"

_"I wish I could at least_ act _that optimistic,"_ Yujhi thought sadly, looking back up at the ceiling. Lying back on his bed he held he picture frame in front of him and frowned. _"Please don't leave me here Yugi..."_

"Hey Ryoura? Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did," Ryoura said, then smiled dramatically and flicked his hair in mock-annoyance, "but I suppose the _mighty_ Ryoura could answer one more."

Yujhi smiled and set the picture on the cupboard next his bed. Talking would be better then sitting in silence until the others showed up (if at all), plus he'd been curious for a while. "How'd you come to calling Bakura 'Pepper'?"

* * *

"Whoa!" Steve yelled, throwing his arms out beside him as he plummeted downwards, which somehow managed to slow him. His muffled hearing and appearance of the area around him told his he was underwater, but he seemed to be falling rather then floating downward unless he tried to slow himself, and he didn't feel the water either. Not only that, but he, himself, seemed to be glowing with an odd light in the blackness, the eye of the Millennium Rod shining even brighter. He didn't question the oddness of it all, however. He'd seen enough to make him believe almost anything.

He didn't know how he was supposed to find Ryoura and Yujhi, nor what he was supposed to do when he found them. All he knew was when he did find them he had to get them to the surface of this weird place, out of the water and back to their Realm. The waters surface was were the Realm began, so he assumed that was the way out too.

Clenching the Millennium Rod he narrowed his eyes and raised his arms directly above his head, allowing his form to plummet downwards again. He wasn't going to let them in here any longer the necessary, and he wasn't leaving without them.

* * *

Yugi opened his eyes slowly as the voices around him began to grow louder. He blinked his bleary vision and looked around with eye half-closed eyes. He was lying on his side, and in front of him he could see the orb of light that had been following them lately, but was more of a dim ball of blue then it's normal bright white. He stared at if for a moment, curious, before his eyes wandered a little further, and he saw Ryoura unconscious with Bakura kneeling next to him. He tried to talk, to ask what was going on, but his voice caught in his throat and he coughed instead.

Bakura looked up at Yugi, but made no move towards him. Ilia and Joe were at the steps a few feet away, Steve's unconscious form leaning against Joe. The blond was asking Ilia question after question, fuming at the fact Steve's soul was now in the pool too, while Ilia was trying to assure him that was supposed to happen. Over their own voices they hadn't heard Yugi's weak cough, and so they didn't know he was awake yet.

Yugi raised a shaky hand and placed it on the floor, using it to try and push his sluggish form up. He was still slightly dazed, having only just woken up, but he didn't care. Sitting up with some effort, he placed his hand on his forehead and groaned lightly, glancing at Ryoura then Bakura, who was looking at his hikari and avoiding Yugi's eye contact.

Yugi had been conscious of everything the spirit had done. He knew what had happened to Ryoura, and so he understood Bakura's pain. _"Just like when Yujhi was taken... He feels responsible for what happened because he's Ryoura's Yami,"_ Yugi thought, blinking a few times to wake up. _"Only he has no way of releasing any of his anger like I did..."_

The orb of light next to Yugi flickered weakly and he looked down, confused. _"And what happened to you?"_ he wondered, placing his hand on the ball lightly. It didn't react to his touch by radiating a wave of light, like it usually did. Instead, Yugi felt a sharp sting and it rolled away from him, falling still a foot or two from where it had originally been. _"What's going on?"_

"Yugi! You're awake!" Joe almost cheered on sight of the Puzzle Spirit, who was still staring at the ball of light next to him. "Now we can-"

"Don't you _dare_ think of getting Yugi to go after Steve!" Ilia yelled, pointing at the pool, "Steve's fine! He's only been in there a few minutes, there's no point in worrying just yet!"

"Fine?" Joe yelled, grabbing the unconscious Steve's shoulders and shaking ihm. "Does this look 'fine' to you?"

"Stop that! You'll hurt him!" Ilia yelled at him. "I know your worried, but panicking won't do any good! Yugi's been through enough right now, he needs a few minutes to recover! If Steve isn't back soon, _then_ you can worry."

Yugi scratched his head as he tried to figure out what was happening from the snips of information they were yelling at each other. From what he could gather, Steve was in the black pool, but if that was the case they just had another soul to panic about. But Ilia said he was fine; maybe the situation was different?

Looking over at Bakura he frowned, seeing the tomb-robber sitting on the floor with his arms folded and resting on his knees, scratching at his jacket idly. He may not have looked it, but Yugi could see the guilt, hurt and anxiety in his eyes; he was so worried whatever the others had planned wouldn't work.

The orb of light on the ground flickered once again, rolling a little closer to Ryoura, making Yugi look at it oddly. There was something about the orb that didn't make him worry about it's actions, like he trusted it, but it's behaviour was beginning to make him feel slightly anxious.

Then he remembered the voice that had spoken to him in his sleep. His eyes grew wide as he looked at the orb. _"Could it be?"_ he thought. Leaning a little closer, he shut his eyes and focussed on the orb as he would a person, and asked through mind, _"Are you the one who was speaking to me? Are you then one who told me not to worry about Ryoura?"_

...

_"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Yugi..."_

Yugi's eyes shot open and he stared at the orb. _"Yami!_

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

-Phew- that took a while! sorry again for the wait everyone. The interesting stuff should start next chappy, and it gets even better the chappy after that! Sorry if this one was a little dull for you, but meh, it had to be put in somewhere -sweatdrops-  
ANYVAY! hope yaz liked some aspect of it! Please review (muchly appreciated **XD**) and slán slán til next time! (goes off to work on Captain Seto)  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef


	12. Save Our Souls

Hmm, unusually chappy name **XD** I can't help it! I have to write a BIG long part with Yugi and Yami! **XD**  
Actually, I re-wrote parts of it, because I thought it was actually too sappy -sweatdrops-  
And you would not BELIEVE the amount I actually CUT-OUT of this chappy! Yup, twas too long!  
Thankies to my wonderful reviews, I shall do RESPONSES! 

**Reponse to Reviews:** **yugirules:** Glad yaz like it! I was trying to drop as many hints as possible about the orb being Yami without giving it completely away.  
**Ryoura:** You try to make twists but drop hints?  
**Bayleef:** I wasn't trying to make that a twist.  
**Ryoura:** Ooo! an exception! ok!  
Hope you like this chappy too and thankies for reviewing!

**pagethereviewer:** Yup! The point of that chappy was more to have character developement-  
**Ryoura:** And for me to be adorably funny, apparently! **XD**  
Yay! Peeps like your personality!  
**Ryoura:** And I love the peeps! -glomps- Uh... about the villain? It was planned to be revealed by this chappy but... oh, read the end -sweatdrops- Thanks for reviewing!

**cheeky-eyes:** Oh, you don't know why he's called Pepper? Ryoura, would you care to explain?  
**Ryoura:** Alrighty then! -ahem- In **Soul Destruction: Chapter Eight - Yugi in Wonderland** I began acting weird, once again, 927 words in, and started comparing opposites as Bakura said he was the dark and I was the light. the dialogue went EXACTLY like this!  
_"Yin and Yang, Dark and Light, Salt and Pepper... Hey! That's your new name!"  
"What?"  
"Pepper!"_  
**Bayleef:** O.O That was... freakishly precise...  
Thanks for reviewing, and sorry Ryoura got so carried away...  
**Ryoura:** -starts singing- Reach for the stars! Climb every mountain-  
Okay thats enough from you...

**Chicary:** Yay! Steve got a moment in the spotlight! Goodie for him! -glomp- And I made him cool! Yay! **Steve:** AHHHH! Lemmiegolemmiegolemmiego!

**Bayleef:** ... Well, that didn't last long, did it?  
Well, the Kuriboh sounds were a hint; from what I've heard, Yami's ka (or ba, I don't remember) is a Kuriboh, so you were half right! **XD** And ya, I didn't want a blowing up, in-your-face chappy... That?s the next one! Mwhahaha!  
**Ryoura:** See Bayleef go crazy!  
**Yujhi:** What did I do to deserve this...?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

"This is talking"  
_"These are thoughts and mind-messages"_

**Chapter Eleven - Save Our Souls **

"Y...Yami?" Yugi breathed out, disbelief drenching his voice. His words silenced Ilia and Joe's argument, and even Bakura pulled his gaze from the ground and turned to Yugi, a light look of confusion on his face.

Yugi's mind was racing; Yami was here? He'd been with them all this time? Is that how he had helped Yugi earlier, when he was facing the Lost Souls? But then why had they never seen the orb of light prior to yesterday?

These questions and more raced into his mind, but just as quickly disappeared. What did he care about the how, what and why? Yami _was_ here! He hadn't abandoned him! Lifting his hand slowly off the ground, Yugi reached out towards the glowing orb.

_"No!"_ Yami's voice echoed in his mind, pained and sharp. Yugi's hand froze in mid-air, just centimetres above the orbs weakly glowing surface. _"Don't..."_

"Why Yami? What's wrong?" Yugi got to his knees and leant his hands on the floor at either side of the orb, staring at it intently. He knew Yami was finding communicating extremely difficult, so he focussed every one of his senses, physical and magical, on the orb before him. The world and people around him dissolved into darkness, ignored.

_"Life force... weak..."_

"Whose life force? Yours?" Yugi's eyes grew wide as a wave of understanding radiated from the orb. He instinctively reached towards it again, but it quickly repelled on touch, sending a small shot of pain through him and rolling a little further away. "Ow! Yami, what's going on?"

_"Nearest life force..."_ Yami's voice seemed to be getting weak as he spoke; he was only speaking barely above a whisper now, and Yugi could hear exhaustion mixed with pain in his voice. _".. absorbed..."_

"You absorb the nearest life force? Is that it?" Another wave, much weaker this time. Yugi shook his head. "Don't try to... talk," he said, at loss for a better word, "I understand now, don't waste your energy."

_"Ryoura... Don't..."_

"I know, I know," Yugi reassured quickly, trying to calm the spirit. "Don't interfere. I won't, I promise. Don't strain yourself." Letting his eyes slid closed, Yugi lowered his head and concentrated hard. He had to see Yami, looking at a little orb of light wasn't the same.

Slowly, carefully, he let his mind empty, his breathing steady and relaxed every muscle, his body drifting into a sort of sleep-like state. Then he raised his arms, feeling like they drifted through a warm wall of air into the cold, then lost every sense of physical feeling, separating his soul from his body.

He felt himself pulling out of his body, but didn't dare open his eyes, for fear of breaking his concentration. Once his soul was free of a physical vessel, he lost all feeling of the world around him; he didn't feel the cold of the room anymore, though he was conscious of everything, such as the floor he was kneeling on. Taking a deep breath, he allowed his eyes to open, and felt joy and heartache all at once at the sight of his darker half.

Yami's form lay on the floor before him, where the orb had once been, wearing the very same outfit Yugi had been him wear in his dream only a few nights ago; a white, sleeveless shirt, white pants and white shoes, but no silvery wings were on his back. His eyes were closed and his breathing slow, though hoarse.

But his skin was white, while the rest of his form grey, including his usual tri-coloured hair. Natural colours seemed to have deserted him; he was entirely coloured with different shades of pale grey.

"Ya-mi," Yugi choked out, blinking back the tears in his eyes. He crawled over to his darker half and stopped just beside him, looking down at his abnormally pale face. "H-How did this happen?" he muttered, his voice cracking with shock, "Y-your soul sh-ouldn't look like this... No soul should look like this... What's happening to you...? Yami?" He reached his hand out and touched the side of his other's face, receiving the same jolt of pain he had once he'd touched the orb.

Yami gasped lightly at the touch, then his face constricted in pain, and Yugi felt something warm hit against his outstretched arm and absorb into him. Yami had absorbed some of Yugi's life force on touch... but he had forced it out of himself and back to Yugi! Now he looked weaker then ever, the effort of forcing back Yugi's energy tolling on his own.

Shocked, Yugi reached forward again, but Yami sensed him this time and turned his head to the side. "No..." he croaked hoarsely, coughing lightly. Yugi blinked hard to keep tears from leaving his eyes, but he didn't move his hand towards or away from Yami.

"Yami..." Yugi said pleadingly, unable to stop his voice from shaking, "I can't stand to see you like this... I want to help..." he leant forward and placed his hand on the side of his Yami's face and shut his eyes in a wince as a small shock ran through him. The pain subsided quickly, but was replaced by a nauseating feeling of his life force being drained at a steady pace.

Yami shut his eyes, reluctantly absorbing energy from his hikari. "No..." he repeated again, but he was still to weak to fight back, and the amount of energy flowing into him, though small, seemed overwhelming to his soul. "Yugi... stop..."

Yugi shook his head weakly, noting how his energy was no longer draining out of him as quickly as before. Yami was beginning to limit the energy being transferred, creating a sort of barrier. A few seconds later, and Yugi seemed incapable of giving any more energy to his weakened Yami.

Desperately, he tried to force more energy out of himself, but Yami's hand raised up and held Yugi's wrist lightly. Looking at his Yami's face, Yugi tried in vain to hold back a sob as his darker half's eyes fluttered weakly open, their usual bright violet replaced my an ugly dark grey, which stood out among his pallid appearance. "No more..." he whispered softly, lifting Yugi's hand away from his face and turning his head to face him, eyes half-closed in exhaustion.

Yugi swallowed hard and nodded, shuddering slightly from weakness and shuffling a little closer to the spirit in front of him, blinking when his Yami smiled softly at him. His tired eyes looked into Yugi's with warmth, and he sighed lightly.

"I'm so proud of you, Yugi..." Yami's voice was calm and sincere, none of the previous pain of exhaustion he had been feeling sounding itself in his tone. "I've watched over you this entire time... every day since the Millennium Puzzle was solved by Yujhi... And I've seen how you've grown and learned to care for your hikari..." he smiled softly and let go of Yugi's wrist, which he had still been holding, and clasped his hand in Yugi's, "And even through all that, you managed to stay the same person... You're still my little brother, the Yugi I always knew and cared for..."

"Yami..." Yugi breathed, tightened his grip on Yami's hand and shutting his tear-filled eyes, but quickly opened them again when he felt a pull at his hand. Yami had rolled himself onto his side so he was facing Yugi and was trying to push himself off the ground. "Yami, don't-" Yugi began, but when Yami had pushed himself up slightly, leaning on his left arm, he lifted his right arm from the floor and held it out to Yugi. Yugi stared at Yami for a moment, who was still smiling warmly, then couldn't control his emotions anymore. Tears fell from his eyes and he threw his arms around Yami's torso, the taller boy wrapping his right arm around Yugi's shoulders and hugging him, still smiling.

"I've missed you so much Yami!" Yugi cried, his face buried in Yami's shoulder. Yami pulled himself up with some effort with his arm that was wrapped around Yugi, so he was sitting sideways. He placed his left hand on the back of Yugi's head and leaned his head on Yugi's, hugging him comfortingly as the younger one cried into his white shirt. "You don't know how hard it's been without you... I haven't had anyone to turn to since Yujhi left, and that Lost Soul was playing with my mind. I couldn't tell who was my enemy, and I couldn't stop that spirit from taking me over. I just... I'm just so..."

"Shh... I know Yugi, I know..." Yami hushed, stroking Yugi's hair and hugging him, "but I'm here now... and I'll help you defeat this new enemy. I won't leave you ever again... I promise..."

Yugi smiled into Yami's shirt and hugged the spirit tightly, whispering softly, "Thank you..."

The two spirits fell into a comfortable silence, Yami hugging Yugi to him, who returned the gesture with just as much affections as his older brother did.

_"'How well the poet put it when he called his friend the half of his soul',"_ Yami thought to himself after a few minutes of silence, _"'I felt that our two souls had been as one, living in two bodies, and life to me was fearful because I did not want to live with only half a soul'..."_

Yami smiled down at Yugi, who seemed to have let himself relax for the first time in months, eyes shut and head leaning against Yami's shoulder. He seemed to feel safe in his Yami's presence. _"Yugi... I don't remember who said those words, but they were words I lived by since the day we were separated... _

"But whoever said it also believe that love overcame death... and I believed that too..." he hugged Yugi a little tighter, _"Your my little brother Yugi, and I love you too much to let anything happen to you... I came back with a single mission; to help you fulfil your destiny and protect you from this...enemy..."_ he frowned and leaned his head on Yugi's, shutting his eyes, _"I won't leave you ever again Yugi... We'll get through this together, and we'll save your friends, I promise..."_

* * *

"What... is this?" 

Steve gripped the Millennium Rod tightly in his left hand, his arms spread straight out beside him as if to catch the air, slowing his decent through his water-like surroundings. Below him he could see the darkness finally ended, a floor of grey sand blanketing the ground below him. But scattered all around the ground below him, as far as he could see in all directions, were figures that were too far away to see clearly, but looked sickeningly like people.

He had spread his arms to slow his fall from a gravity pull to a glide when he spotted the ground approaching, and the closer he came to the ground the worse he bgan to feel. Those figures _were_ people! And they were chained to the ground!

_"Get a hold of yourself Steve,"_ he told himself, taking a deep breath and sighing, _"They're not drowning, they're spirits... just like you are right now... Ah crud, why have I gotton myself into?"_ he thought, as if the strangeness of the situation had just occurred to him.

He was only a few metres above the souls now, and mentally begged the Millennium Rod to prevent him falling any further; he didn't want to get too close. Surprisingly, the Rod flashed golden for a second and his form stopped descending, floating about two metres above the bodies. "That's good..." he sighed to himself, looking around. People of all ages were floating in the dark waters, completely lifeless, wearing clothes from all different ages. It made him shiver, but Steve quickly forced himself to look around, focussing on the task at hand. No familiar faces from where he was right now.

He leant forward slightly and a soft glow emitted from the rod, moving him forward with a simple thought. _"I'm getting the hang of thing,"_ he thought after a few minutes, _"but I'll never find the others just floating around..."_ he held the Rod vertically in front of him with both hands. Without a second thought, he willed it to help detect the Millennium magic of his friends, opening his mind to the sixth sense of magic. At first, nothing. Then, to his left, a ripple of magic. It was very like the waves he felt radiate from the Millennium Rod, but much weaker.

He turned and forced himself in the direction of the ripple, still using the Millennium Rod's powers to move faster then before. Unfortunately, he couldn't split his concentration like the others could, so every few minutes he had to stop and search for the magic to make sure he was going in the right direction. Frustrated after stopping for the fourth time, he forced himself forward stubbornly, _"Come on guys... help me!"_

* * *

"Yujhi..." Ryoura looked up suddenly, staring blankly forward, "Did you...?" 

"Ya, I sensed it too," Yujhi nodded, sitting up on his bed. He shut his eyes tightly and focussed on the tiny wave of magic that had radiated from someone around them, trying to identify it. It was only a small wave, so they both had to focus hard to get any information from it.

"It's Millennium Magic, that's for sure," Ryoura said, but he didn't sound very happy with that discover. The last thing he remembered was the Millennium Items he and his friends had been in the hands of the spirit that had taken Yugi over. Examining the second wave of magic, he became confused. "But it's not the Puzzle... or the Ring... It's not the Necklace either... What-?"

He was cut short when Yujhi's had grabbed his arm quickly. He was not trying to move him, but his grip with tight. "Yujhi?" Ryoura looked back to see Yujhi shivering, eyes wide and terrified. "Yujhi, what's wrong?" he turned slightly so he was sitting sideways on the bed, facing Yujhi. When he didn't get a response, he held Yujhi's shoulders and shock him lightly. "Yujhi what is it?"

Yujhi's eyes focussed on Ryoura, and he gripped the taller boys forearms, "That's the Millennium Rod! It's Mark! He came back, and now he's after me again!"

"No, Yujhi, hold it," Ryoura said calmly, trying to prevent the shorter teen from panicking anymore, "It can't be him; he has no reason to come after you-"

"Yes he does! He wants to torture me!" Yujhi yelled, remembering all too well the taunting, jeering and teasing that had taken place during his repeated matches with Mark:

_" Beg for mercy and I may end it quickly for you."_ Marks sinister voice hissed in his mind, _"Go ahead. Beg me to kill you. I know you don't want to go any further" "You know you want me to end it..."_

"Yujhi, snap out of it!" Ryoura yelled, forcing the teen to look at him. Seeing the fear in Yujhi's eyes, he calmed his voice again. "I don't think it's Mark... If it was, then I'd since the Ishtar connection straight away, I know it all to well..." He pulled Yujhi's hands away from his arms lightly, not breaking eye contact with his friend, "And if it somehow turns out to be Mark, I won't let him hurt you, ok?"

Yujhi swallowed hard and nodded weakly, though he was still shaking.

"Whoever this is may be our only chance to escape..." Ryoura muttered, letting go of Yujhi's hands and getting up off the bed. "You stay here, I'm going back to that weird water-place."

"What?" Yujhi blinked, looking up at him. "Your leaving me here alone?"

"I came here from that dimension, but you seemed to come straight frmo that place where you re-live your match with Mark," he stopped and looked back at Yujhi, "So chances are we'll go back to those places... I wouldn't risk it if I were you."

Yujhi thought of protesting, but when an image of Mark's monsters flashed through his mind, he quickly changed his mind. "Ok..."

Ryoura smiled at Yujhi and grinned, throwing on his weak 'motherly impersonation', "Don't get up to too much while I'm missing, darling!"

"I won't mommy..." Yujhi commented sarcastically, smiling weakly as Ryoura's form began to fade away, his mind pulling out of Yujhi's soul room and back to his own.

* * *

"Hello? Yugi?" Joe waved his hand in front of Yugi's face again, but still got no response. Bakura had gone back to ignoring the rest of the group, sitting quietly be Ryoura?s side and staring expectantly at the black pool of water ahead of him. Ilia was kneeling by Steve, making sure he was alright, while Joe was by Yugi. The Puzzle spirit had shut his eyes while kneeling by the blue orb and seemed to have fallen asleep right there. 

"Crud it," Joe growled sitting back, "What's going on with him?"

"Forget him," Bakura muttered, not taking his eyes off the pool when Joe looked over at him, "he's pre-occupied. I don't know what he's doing, but he's oblivious to our existence right now."

Joe blinked blankly, "Meaning?"

"He doesn't know we exist."

"Oh," Joe scratched the back of his head and looked back at Yugi, then turned to see Ilia laying Steve down carefully. Growling, he threw his arms in the air. "Super! Now we've got two of 'em!"

"Hopefully, Steve won't take much longer..." Ilia whispered, frowning down at her boyfriend. She wouldn't admit it to Joe, be she was starting to get worried. Steve had been down there a long time. Was he ok? Had he found the others? Had something gone wrong and he was actually trapped there too? "Come on Steve," she whispered, biting her lip nervously, "You're the only one who can save them..."

* * *

Ryoura opened his eyes slowly to the world of dark water and frowned, placing his hand on his throat. He forgot about that; he couldn't breath here. It didn't harm him, but it was terrifying. _"I feel like a corpse..."_ he thought, but a wave of magic to his left caught his attention, his mind blanking to all else. Looking over, he couldn't see more then a few metres away from himself, so he couldn't see the magic user. 

Still, it was his only shot. Glancing at Yujhi's unconscious form beside him, he raised his hand on front on him. He couldn't call, as his voice was gone along with his ability to breath, so he would have to do the next best thing; create signals. _"I don't have any real magic here..."_ he thought, narrowing his eyes, _"So I'll just have to use what I can..."_

He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth as a form of white light formed in his palm, it's energy torn from his very soul. It shone brightly in the dark surrounding, and emitted three powerful waves of magic before it disappeared completely, it's energy drained.

_"That better be enough..."_ Ryoura thought, exhausted, and shut his eyes. His soul was in a weak state in this place; using to much energy would be fatal.

Steve was only a few dozen metres away when the first wave of magic struck him, causing him to raise his gaze and spoke the glow emitting from the energy Ryoura was using. With the Millennium Rod, he identified it's owner, and was darting through the water faster then ever. "Ryoura?" he called out, head darting back and forth. No response; why wasn't he calling back? His place may have been under water, but his speech hadn't been effected.

He began to slow as he travelled, looking back and forth, until he spotted qho he was looking for; Ryoura, and Yujhi was right next to him! _"Finally, a little luck!"_ He thought, darting down towards his friends. He stopped right in front of Ryoura and was about to greet him, but froze. This was the closest he had been to any of the souls in this dimension, and for the first time, he realised just how lifeless they looked. Ryoura and Yujhi were both frightfully pale Yujhi seeming more so as his skin was a contrast to his black hair- and they weren't breathing at all. _"Are... are they..."_ he thought fearfully. No, Ilia never said anything about the souls being dead, that probably wasn't even possible.

But they weren't breathing, or moving. Could they really be alive. Lifting a shakey hand, Steve placed it lightly on Ryoura's shoulder, moving back quickly when Ryoura's head jerked up and looked at him. "What the heck?" Steve exclaimed in fright, yelping when he bumped into another lifeless soul behind him. He quickly moved back towards Ryoura, _"At least that one didn't wake up too."_

Ryoura reached forward and grabbed Steve's wrist. He had an ice cold touch, sending shivers through Steve, but Ryoura didn't seem to notice. He was gesturing to Yujhi and himself, then looked at Steve quizzically. But the petrified Kaiba just pulled his wrist out of Ryoura's grip and moved away.

"What's going on Ryoura?" Steve asked shakily. Ryoura tilted his head in confusion, then pointed back at Yujhi then himself, looking at Steve then shrugging. "Why arn't you talking?" Steve almost yelled, afraid to get any closer to his friend, "Why aren't you _breathing_? What's going on?" Ryoura tapped his throat and shook his head -he couldn't talk?- then smiled weakly and shrugged. He then pointed down at the shackles around his and Yujhi's ankles and then at the Rod, looking at Steve questioningly.

"I use this?" Steve looked down at his Rod. Ryoura nodded and pointed at the ankles again, with a look that Steve just knew said, in complete Ryoura fashion, 'Hurry up now, haven't got all day'. He was still a little shaken by his friend being mute and... the only word for people who don't breath was dead, but he didn't want to use that term. _"Worry about it later..."_ he thought, floating forward and holding his Millennium Rod out, pointing the head of it at the shackle around Ryoura's foot.

"Ok..." he whispered, closing his eyes. _"Please, don?t give up on me now..."_ he thought, and as if to reassure him he felt an amount of magic move from his body to th Millennium Rod, focussing in the head of it. He added an extra amount, just to be sure it did it's job, then released his magic, heard the metal around Ryoura's foot explode and opened his eyes to see the chain and whatever remained dissolve. "Yes!" he cheered, punching the air.

But then a hand grabbed his foot and tugged him back. Looking back, Steve's eyes grew wide as he realised that one of the other souls had grabbed him, and a number of others were reaching out for him too! Pulled back by one, he was quickly coming into reaching distance of about for others.

Ryoura's fist met that of the man who was grabbed Steve and the spirit quickly let Steve go. Souls from all directions were reaching for him now, clawing through the water and flexing their fingers, reaching for him. "What's going on? Ah!" Steve yelled, hitting one of the hands away by swinging his Millennium Rod at it.

_"They want you to free them too!"_

"Ryoura?" he looked at his friend, shocked. He hadn't heard that with his ears, Ryoura's voice had echoed in his _mind_. "How...?"

_"Get Yujhi free!"_ Ryoura's voice yelled at him, but his mouth hadn't moved, and he was trying desperately to defend Steve from the spirits that was reaching for him.

"R...Right!" Steve shook his head and turned to Yujhi, focussing his magic like he had before and preparing to launch it. Unfortunately, before he could, one of the spirits pulled themselves down through the water and wrapped their arms around Yujhi's legs, blocking the chain from view. One spirit behind Yujhi grabbed his shoulders and pulled the unconscious boy back, reaching towards Steve herself. "Ryoura, what do I do? They're blocking him from me!"

But Ryoura was suffering a similar situation to Yujhi; the spirits that could reach him had wrapped their arms around his shoulders, his arms, his torso, whatever way restricted his movement. He couldn't move anymore, trapped in a circle of spirits. _"They're trying to make you free them!"_

"Maybe if I do-"

_"Don't!"_ Ryoura's mind yelled, and winced as one soul pulled hard on his arm. _"Do you want to be the cause of more Lost Souls in the world? Their bodies are long gone! You'd just be setting their spirits lose on the world!"_

Steve growled and turned around to face the spirits that had now encircled Yujhi, looking back and forth from Ryoura to Yujhi, then and pointed his Millennium Rod at the spirits. "Get away from my friends!" he yelled, releasing a bolt of magic that struck the spirits hard, but only their top-halves. He was careful to aim his magic away from their shackles, hitting them hard with Millennium Magic and forcing them away from his friends.

The man covering Yujhi's shackle was struck back. Steve launched an attack and struck the chain. It was destroyed instantly.

Yujhi's eyes shot open when Steve grabbed his wrist, staring fearfully around as Steve used the Millennium Rod to pull himself and Yujhi above the crowd of souls. He turned to help Ryoura, but the youngest teen had already kicked on of the male spirits in the face to launch himself upwards, and had grabbed Steve's arms to stay suspended a few meters above the crowd.

_"What was for the waist-hugging you freak!"_ Ryoura yelled mentally down at the spirit he had kicked in the face, making a face at the spirit who Yujhi and Steve were sure was mentally cursing him.

"Let's get out of here!" Steve yelled, Yujhi nodding eagerly in agreement, and raised the Millennium Rod above his head, willing it to pull them to the surface and out of this spirit world.

* * *

"Yami?" 

Yami smiled softly and pulled away from the smaller spirit, looking down at him. "You sensed correctly Yugi..."

Yugi looked up with shock. "Then...?" he began, a smile forming on his face.

"Yes," Yami nodded, placing his hand lightly over Yugi's eyes. "Go back to your body Yugi... Go greet your hikari..."

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

Strange ending, but I liked this chappy, actually!  
**Ryoura:** Eww, why'd you put the 'waist-hugging' thing in?  
**Bayleef:** I actually, dunno, I thought it was funny! **XD**  
**Ryoura:** Bayleef be crazy, yupyup.  
SHOOT! That Yugi and Yami stuff threw the chappy off completely! I don't really care, coz I loved it! -glomps- Promise there'll be more next chappy though!  
Hope you guys enjoyed it, coz it's one of the few chappys I actually liked! Ending's a little skimpy, but I like the basic idea!  
please review and slán slán til next time me lovely readers!  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef 


	13. Of Light and Darkness

Hey peeps! Welcome to the chappy where you FINALLY get to see who the bad guy is, yay! Sorry this took so long guys, but I've literally been working all day on this (lots of breaks, it take a LONG time to get into writing) But I basically started at 1:30pm and now it's... 11:20pm -sweatdrops- I have SCHOOL in the morning!  
Anyway, no blabbing, enjoy the part peeps!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

"This is talking"  
_"These are thoughts and mind-messages"_

**Chapter Twelve - Of Light and Darkness **

Returning to his body felt strangely like slipping into water. When his spirit touched part of his body, sensations ran back to that area, and he could once again feel hot and cold. A cold air rushed over him and he shivered before his eyes fluttered open, blinking his vision clear. Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the dark pool of water on the dais before him; they weren't here yet, but he knew they were coming.

Getting to his feet quickly he walked towards the dais, stopping at the bottom of the steps and standing silent, waiting. The three other people in the room looked at him oddly for a moment, but a sudden explosion of water tore there attention from him.

Three orbs, similar to the one of Yami that was beginning to drift off the floor, a brighter colour now because of Yugi's life-force flowing into it, exploded out of the water, darting upwards towards the ceiling before dropping down again. They curved upward again just inches from the floor and darted in separate directions; one towards Steve's unconscious form, the other towards Ryoura's, and the last floated towards Yugi, much slower then the other two.

Steve's body lurched when the orb struck his side and absorbed into him into him, his eyes snapping open. The second went to Ryoura, though when it struck he merely took in a large gasp of breath, his eyes still closed.

The last floated down and hovered before Yugi.

Yugi took a deep breath and stared a the orb floating before his eyes, reaching his hand up to hover beside it, palm facing it's surface. "Yujhi...?" He whispered, closing the space between his palm and the orb. His eyes slid closed at the orb dissolved into a blanket of light the poured over his body, giving him a palely glowing form. The surrounding glow exploded suddenly into what looked like a million glows dust particles, was gathered up by a non-existed wind to form a slow-moving whirlwind of light before Yugi. Once again, it exploded, and in the centre of the whirlwind stood Yujhi, eyes closed and head down. Tears brimmed in Yugi's eyes at the sight of his hikari, "Yujhi..." he breathed again, shocked.

Yujhi groaned a little and opened eyes sea-blue eyes, blinking heavily as if he had just woken up. "Huh... wha..?" he slurred, straightening up and looking around himself blearily before looking at Yugi, his eyes widening. "Yugi?"

Yugi stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Yujhi's shoulders, hugging the younger teen tightly, "Yujhi, I can't believe you're here! I was so worried about you..." he pulled away and held Yujhi's shoulders, looking his light in the eye, "I'm so sorry! If I'd just come sooner, then none of this would have happened and-"

"Yugi no," Yujhi said, shaking his head, "This wasn't your fault, it was Mark's. I could have refused his challenge, but then he would have probably killed me. And he'd already done something to you, putting you out of action. _He_ caused all of this, not you."

"But if I had come sooner... You wouldn't have had to go through all of this..."

"Yugi, it's ok." Yujhi reassured, smiling. He placed his hand over his heart and looked down, as if you check we was still there and not imagining this entire thing. "I'm just glad to be myself again... and to be back in the real world with you guys."

Yugi smiled and hugged Yujhi again, "Me too..."

"Ow..." Steve moaned, pressing his hand against his head to try and suppress his throbbing headache, "My aching... everything..."

"To much info bud. You ok?" Joe asked, kneeling down in front of him. Ilia was holding Steve in a sitting position and rubbing his shoulders for comfort.

Steve nodded, "I think so..."

"It's just the use of magic," Ilia explained, "You're bodies not used to it, so it's just a little strained." Smiling brightly she threw her arms around Steve's shoulders and laughed. "I'm so proud of you! you got Yujhi and Ryoura back without hurting yourself!"

"Yujhi? Ryoura?" Joe spun around, realisation suddenly hitting him. Spotting Yujhi and Yugi he grinned and darted over, wrapping his arms around the two smaller boys and hugging them tight. "Oh man Yujhi, where the heck have you been? We've missed ya!"

Yujhi laughed along with Yugi. "I've missed you guys too."

Somehow managing to wriggle his way out of Joe's bear hug, he stumbled back and looked around. Steve and Ilia looked fine, Joe had dragged Yujhi over and now pulled Steve into a group hug. Looking over he saw Bakura holding Ryoura into a sitting position, talking to him to try to get a reaction out the teen. But Ryoura's eyes had slid shut again, and he was breathing very heavily. The orb of light was hovering nearby patiently, as if waiting for something. Focussing on it, Yugi frowned, _"Yami, what's going on?"_

_"I need you to get everyone over here,"_ Yami's voice explained, the orb drifting closer to Ryoura and Bakura. _"It's to help Ryoura."_

_"What?"_ Yugi blinked as he started to walk towards Yami. _"Is there something wrong with him?"_

_"My life force is weak, Yugi. I died a long time ago,"_ Yugi flinched, he still hated to here Yami say that, _"Ten thousand years ago, and again five thousand years ago, each time becoming weaker. I know Bakura is the same age, but his life-force is renewed each time his bonds himself with a hikari. Mine is worn... It won't sustain him much longer."_

Yugi nodded in understanding, _"So you want us to get him some of ours, right?"_

_"Yes. And..."_ Yami paused for a moment, _"And I will need exra energy too if I'm to help you. As I am now I'm in incomplete soul, half of what I should be. The remainder of my soul is still in the afterlife, so my powers and influences are weak. I need more energy to be of any real use to you, but I promise I won't take enough to endanger or weaken any or you immensely."_

_"I know you won't,"_ Yugi nodded. He trusted Yami over anyone else's, and the way he had tried desperately not to absorb Yugi' life force earlier was proof he would keep his word.

Bakura frowned and shook Ryoura's shoulders lightly, "Ryoura, say something."

Ryoura force an eye open and looked at Bakura, then closed it again, raising in exhausted arm and given Bakura a weak hit on the forehead, "Promised Yujhi I'd smack you 'cross the head if you took to long..." he explained in a whisper, his voice hoarse. Why was he so exhausted? What had that spirit-guy done to him?

"Bakura..." Yugi said as he walked up next to the tomb-robber and his lighter half, who seemed to have fallen into a sleep-like state though he was fully awake. Ilia, Joe, and Steve standing behind him, Yujhi by his side.

Bakura looked at the group suspiciously, but realised that Yugi was the only member who didn't look confused, the orb of light floating beside him. "What?"

"We have to help Ryoura," Yugi said, kneeling down to Ryoura's right, Bakura at his left. The others looked at each other, bewildered, but Yujhi quickly knelt next to Yugi. Joe sat next to Yujhi, and Ilia next to him, Steve completing the circle by kneeling between Ilia and Bakura.

Without a worked of explanation, Yugi took hold of Yujhi's hand and looked at him until he realised he was supposed to continue the chain, holding Joe's hand. Steve didn't look all that pleased to have to hold hands with Bakura, and he didn't want to put the Millennium Rod down, so he just held a fist holding the rod out to Bakura. The tomb robber eyed Yugi suspiciously, but he still didn't say a word. Reluctantly he placed his hand on top of Steve's, then a hand on Ryoura's shoulder like Yugi was doing.

"Okay... we're ready..." Yugi muttered to Yami, though the others thought he was talking to himself.

_"Don't panic, and keep the circle. It will make things easier,"_ Yami warned, and waited until Yugi had relayed this message to the others. As soon as he did, the orb that was Yami swerved into the air, spun around, and did something Yugi had not expected; he darted straight towards Ryoura and hit him in te chest, entering his body.

Ryoura's eyes snapped open immediately and his head jerked up, a hiss-whisper of an Egyptian spell came out of his mouth, though the voice was clearly not his. Once again, that odd feeling of his life-force being drained overtook him, but he could also feel someone else's life force entering his body; it was as if the energy was running in a circle, evening out the amount of energy they all had.

It stopped suddenly, a wave of magic forced each one of them to separate their hands from one another, and the shock caused Joe to fall back flat on the floor. "Whoa!" he yelled, propping himself up on his elbows, "What the heck was that!"

Ryoura yelled slightly, though his voice was a mingle of his own and Yami's, and the orb shot back out of his chest again, Bakura catching his shoulders before he fell backwards. The orb shot forward with so much speed it had almost hit the wall behind the pool before it stopped, curved around and darted straight for Yugi.

Steve jumped when he saw the direction it was heading. "Yugi, Yujhi watch-!"

Yugi leapt to his feet, still slightly bent over, and threw out his hand. The orb flew passed him like lightning, but his fist somehow closed around it as it passed right through his outstretched fingers. The speed pulled him sideways, he pivoted on one foot, then stomped the other down on the floor, preventing himself from falling, his hand held above his head. In his hand was a shimmering silver Khepesh sword(1), the blade straight at first, then arching slightly with a diagonal point at the end. The group gawped at Yugi as he stood, staring upward at the sword, staring at the hieroglyphs printed on the blade; Atemu.

Tearing his gaze from the sword Joe crawled forward and looked at Ryoura, frowning. "Is he ok?" he asked Bakura.

Bakura shook his head to say he didn't know, then looked at Ryoura, who seemed to have fallen unconscious leaning against him. "It should have worked... why isn't he-?"

"Well clearly it didn't, look how dead I am," Ryoura raised his head and looked at Bakura, grinning.

The tomb-robber was overcome with relief to see Ryoura was all right and seemed to have plenty of his energy back, but Ryoura's little joke prevented any chance of an emotional gesture. "You prick, what you do that for!" Bakura yelled, shoving Ryoura away from him. The teen just laughed.

"Ryoura, your ok!" Joe cheered, almost tackling his friend in a bear hug. His cheer caught everyone's attention, but soon it was Ryoura who hugging everyone else instead of them hugging him. "Man, I thought you were dead!"

"Won't get rid of my that easy!" Ryoura smiled as he let Ilia go, then looked over at Yujhi. "Welcome back."

"You too."

"Guys..." Yugi frowned, staring at the stairway leading to the next level downward, the way the lost soul had clearly gone. "We have to stop him."

"Him?" Yujhi frowned, looking over at Yugi. "What are you talking about?"

Yugi sighed angrily. Of coarse, the moment the Yujhi returns from the Shadow Realm he would have to be thrown into yet another problem. Turning around to face his lighter half, Yugi said, "Yujhi, I don't want you getting involved. You've been through enough already, you all have," he looked up at Ryoura, who had fallen quiet. Yugi tapped his finger off the edge of the sword, drawing Ryoura's attention to it for the first time, and looked back at the stairway. "I should go alone... You'll need Bakura too protect-"

"Where'd you get that?" Ryoura interrupted, pointing at the sword. Yugi just looked at him curiously, silently questioning his behaviour. "I... I've seen it before..."

"Really?" Joe blinked, scratching the back of his head. "Don't tell me Yugi managed to steal it from somewhere."

"No..." Ryoura muttered, suddenly wishing he hadn't said anything. But they kept questioning, so finally he said, "In a dream... I saw it in a dream."

"Oh..."

"I'm not kidding!" Ryoura protested, looking over at Joe. "I'm serious, and Yugi had it in my dream too!"

"Maybe," Ilia tried, "It's just a coincidence."

"No it's not, I know it's not," Ryoura muttered, grabbing his hair and growling. He'd had his suspicions before, but the sword in Yugi's hand confirmed them. "How could I have been so _stupid_! I should have known all this was going to happen!"

"Ryoura, how could you have known all this was going to happen? Maybe Yugi's right." Steve said, putting a hand on Ryoura's shoulder. "You and Yujhi should probably go back to camp."

"I've been having that _stupid_ nightmare for months, and it never dawned on me that it might _actually_ mean something!" Ryoura yelled, pulling his hair hard, "I'm such an idiot! I knew that spirit was here and the nightmare told me what he was planning, why didn't I say anything!"

Bakura growled and grabbed Ryoura's wrists, pulling them away from his head. "Ryoura calm down! This is not your fault, you didn't make that lost soul do anything, so stop pretending it is!"

Ryoura shut his eyes tight, "Always with the gentle approach, eh Pep'...?" he muttered, clearly not seeing the truth in what Bakura was saying. He'd dreamt of being stuck underwater, of Bakura covered in blood the same way he was right now, and he'd dreamt Yugi using that sword; how could he have let all this happen when he'd been given the same glimpse of the future every night?

"Well..." Yujhi said awkwardly, trying to change everyone's focus away from Ryoura. He looked at Yugi and clenched his hand into a fist. "Whatever's going on, I'm not going back."

"Yujhi-"

Yujhi shook his head at Yugi and held up his hand, "No, let me talk. I've been stuck in there for months, reliving a nightmare where I got chased and almost eaten by a dragon and had to fight the same painful challenge over and over again. I've been through a lot, but that just means I'm stronger now. I'm going; I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I stayed and something happened to you guys."

Ryoura nodded in agreement, but didn't raise his head. Ilia and Steve looked at each other, then at Yugi, smiling. "We're going too!" Ilia said.

"And your not leaving me behind," Joe grinned, clenching his hand to a fist and beating it off his chest, "You guys need me."

Ilia and Steve rolled there eyes, Ryoura and Yujhi smiled and Yugi bit his lip. "But guys..."

_"Just let them come Yugi..."_ Yami's voice echoed, causing Yugi to look down at the blade. Surprising, everyone else in the group looked around also.

"Where the heck did that come from?" Joe almost yelled.

Yugi lifted the sword and looked at the blade, seeing the reflection of himself in it. "Why?"

_"Because you know as well as I do that they cannot be stopped. If you leave them behind they will just follow you afterwards."_

"You've got a point... Ok guys, you can come," he said, earning a quiet 'yes!' from most of the group, but a glare from Bakura, who was clearly still worried about Ryoura's condition, "but stick close together and don't do anything stupid.

"We have to move now. We've wasted to much time already," he said. When the group nodded he spun on his heel and walking quickly towards the stairway, Yujhi running to his side and the Bakuras close behind. Behind him he could faintly hear Joe yelling '_Another_ spirit! In the _sword!_', but his heart was racing at such a pace it was pounding in his ears, his hand gripping the handle of the sword painfully.

_"Yugi?"_ Yujhi's voice echoed in his mind, and Yugi looked over to his hikari, _"Whose 'Yami'?_

Yugi smiled; he'd missed speaking to the younger boy this way, it was the most honest and open way of communication and showed how much they trusted each other, to open their emotions to one another. _"He was_ my _darker half, five thousand years ago. Here,"_ he held his hand with the sword out, _"Would you like to say hi?"_

Yujhi looked at the sword uncertainly, then placed his hand on the handle under Yugi's hand, focussing on the sword. _"Hello?"_

He could almost feel Yami's smile as he chuckled, _"Hello Yujhi. I trust you've been taking care of Yugi for me?"_

* * *

The spirit sighed as he strolled into the final level of the temple, stretching his arms above him lazily. "What a lovely walk," he muttered to himself as his finished his stretch, putting his hands back in his pocket and taking his time as he walked to through the room, taking in his surroundings.

On every wall, as in every room, were paintings and hieroglyphs telling stories. A dozen or so thick pillars were lined parallel to the wall, paintings of Pharaoh's and Gods along them. But everything in this room was not dedicated to the Gods, but the Millennium Items. Each item had a section of the wall dedicated to it's powers and how it had been used to aid the High Priests and Pharaohs of the time. No mention of the terror Bakura caused with the Millennium Ring. _"Propaganda... pretending these items were used only for good..."_

The spirit glanced lazily at the last two columns before the alter, chuckling. "The Pharaohs who started and ended it all in a matter or years," he muttered. The column on his left was painted with the image of Pharaoh Akunumkanum, and on the column to his right was the Pharaoh who sealed the Millennium magic away, Atemu.

"You wasted your life, the items have never rested 'for eternity'," the spirit muttered, moving his gaze from the column and stepping up the few steps onto the alter. Behind the alter was what looked like a huge tablet of stone covered in hieroglyphs and a Millennium symbol just a little above the centre. On the ground before that was a statue, and within it, shining brightly from the flames that had magically appeared when he entered the room, was the Millennium Scales, the Millennium Eye and the Millennium Key.

"Hello there..." the spirit grinned, reaching down and plucking the Millennium Items one by one from there holdings. He grinned as he felt the magic in his body increase in strength with each item he touched. With the final item he sighed happily, relishing the power flowing within him. "So much power..." Too bad he'd already sent those monsters to attack Yugi and the others, he would have liked to done all of the damage himself.

But as the monsters came to mind, a sinister thought came to mind. Grinning, he shut his eyes. _"My monsters..."_ he said playfully, _"Your master has a new command..."_

* * *

_"Yugi, there's something here."_

Yugi froze his mental conversation with Yujhi and Yami when the former-pharaoh's voice had spoken up, the sword in his hand flashing white for a second as a type of warning. Freezing in his tracked, Yugi looked around the corridor; the level of magic was very high here.

Bakura seemed to have sensed it too; and with one swipe of his arms from right to left the Millennium Sabre appeared in his hand, glowing with the green magic from which it was made, though much weaker now without the Millennium Ring. Holding the blade out in front of him, his eyes scanned the area for any signs of movement. He could feel Ryoura grasping what little magic he could in preparation for an attack. _"Don't."_ he said simply when he felt Ryoura pull on his life energy to power up more. Ryoura frowned but when back to using pure magic.

Yugi stood unmoving, his stance wide and the sword held directly in front of him, eyes scanning the area. A movement further down the corridor. His eyes locked on it, narrowing when he saw the wolf-like figure creep out of the darkness, fangs bared and yellow eyes glowing. "Silverfang..." Yugi muttered, tightening his grip on the blade. The wolf was followed by a number of other monsters of all shapes and sizes. Beasts, zombies, dragons; there was at least a dozen monsters to stand against the power of five weakened magic users, Steve and Joe.

Silverfang, who seemed to have taken on the role of leader in the pack, stopped about eight metres away, the line of monsters stopping behind him, baring their teeth, flexing their long claw-like hands, growling hungrily.

It was a Poison Mummy that made the first move. It's blue and red mummified form ran towards the group. But before Yugi had a chance to even consider attacking, Bakura had sped past at an alarming speed and met the creature half-way, slicing his flaming sword through it's middle and separating the top-half of it's body from the bottom. Large slugs, worms and maggots fell out of the severed half lying on the floor, but it's form did not lie still. Instead, it's hands moved to pick itself up.

As Bakura beheaded the monster with his sword, the real fight began. All at once the creatures charged, and Yugi did likewise, charging forward with the sword held out sideways. The blade flashed as he swung it forward, striking a Battle Ox across it's calf muscles. The ox-monster screamed in agony and collapsed, two glowing cuts remaining on it's legs in place of a bleeding wound, but much more painful.

"Yujhi! Monsters! Ryoura yelled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the only card he had with him at the time; his faithful Uraby.

Yujhi nodded and reached his hand out, gripping Ryoura's and allowing the other boy to use his magic as well as his own to summon the black dinosaur. It roared and charged at a few of the creatures that had managed to pass Yugi and Bakura. Ilia managed to summon a Sacred Crane as well, and ordered the bird into attack.

"Shouldn't you be doing that right about now?" Joe muttered to Steve as a Man-eater Bug began to advance on them.

"I dunno how!" Steve growled, fumbling with the cards in his hands. Typical that when he really needs a monster all he can find are trap and magic. Even if he did find a monster, he was just going to have to hope his instincts would kick in and help him summon them.

"Steve!"

The Man-Eater bug had leapt at Steve and knocked him to the floor, causing him to lose his grip on the Millennium Rod and send it spiralling towards the wall of the corridor, his cards falling all over the floor.

The creatures large, pincer-like arms clung to his arms, holding him to the ground, and it's mouth hovered over him, numerous rows of teeth snapping teasingly at him. It bent down towards his face and instinctually turned his head sideways, scratching the side of his face off it's far-to-close teeth, and he tried desperately to dig his knee into it's stomach. It was armoured, though, so this move harmed him more then the monster. Almost grinning, the Man-Eater bug closed it's teeth around his head, digging them into the skin under his jaw and the side of his head. Steve yelled as it's teeth pierced his flesh, like little knives.

There was a sickening crack sound and blood splattered all over the side of Steve's face. But it wasn't his own. The Man-Eater bug fell limp on top of him and he gasped from the weight, but it was quickly pushed off him. Gasping for Breath, Steve looked up at Joe. "What did you...?" he looked down at the Millennium Rod in Joe's hands, the wing-like edge on the head of it covered in blood.

"This thing makes a pretty good axe. Or a mace," he said, pointing over at the Man-Eater Bug lying dead on the ground, the Millennium Rod having struck right through it's skull. Handing the bloody Rod back to Steve he held out a card. "First monster I found."

As Steve summoned a Different Dimension Dragon, Yugi and Bakura continued there fight with the larger monsters, Ilia's Sacred Crane helping them. Bakura had received a lot of bruises, but not serious cuts, just a few nicks here and there. Yugi didn't receive many blows, as the power of his sword proved too powerful for some of the monsters, but when he received a blow it was a hard one. He had been struck hard in the back by the tail of a dragon, and it hurt so much he was slowed down. He also had deep cut down the side of his face, but the rest of the damage was minor cuts, like Bakura.

_"Yugi!"_ Yami's voice yelled in his mind, _"Yugi I-"_ he sounded like he was cut off from the sudden stop, but then he spoke, stronger then before, _"I'm gaining more power! I don't know how but my powers growing!"_

Yugi cut through the stomach of another monster; the blow didn't seem much stronger yet, _"That's a good thing, isn't it. It can help us."_

_"And I may be able to get my own form too... I can take care of this now Yugi, get Bakura to move back!"_

Yugi relayed Yami's words to Bakura and the tomb-robber, though reluctant, leapt back when Yugi said he had a plan. Holding the sword out in front of him. The sword flashed, as it did when it warned Yugi of the monster presence, and a dome of light suddenly encased all the monsters before him. The monsters screeched in agony, but it was only a few seconds before all fell silent. A ripple of thick magic flew from the dome as it disappeared, running through Yugi and Bakura harmlessly and striking the monsters the others had currently been fighting, causing them to screech also before disintegrating entirely.

Yugi stared forward with his mouth open in shock. Where had Yami gotton such power? He looked back to see if the others were all right. They were standing looking around, looking bemused and lost, wondering what had happened to the monsters they had been fighting. A glow caught Yugi's attention and he turned forward again.

Yami's voice echoed in his mind, _"If I can get a solid form, I can help you defeat this enemy."_ Where the dome had once been stood a glowing figure, though the light had begun to dim by the time Yugi had turned to look at it. Yugi's eyes widened as he realised Yami was trying to materialise before them. "Yami no, don't drain yourself!" he called, but Yami didn't listen.

The light dimmed further, and in a matter of seconds it was gone entirely. Yami stood, arms spread out beside him, eyes closed and a soft glow surrounding his frame. When the glow disappeared, his body crumpled to the floor.

"Yami!" Yugi yelled, running forward and skidding to Yami's side. "Yami, are you ok?" he asked, shaking his dark lightly.

Yami groaned and opened his eyes, blinking once or twice before looking up at Yugi. "Whoa..." he sighed, pulling his hands to himself and pushing himself to sit up. "That... Didn't work exactly as I planned..." he muttered, rubbing his head.

Yugi frowned, "Are you ok? You're not hurt are you?"

"No, I'm fine," Yami smiled, sighing again as he tried to push himself to his feet. Yugi stood up quickly and grabbed Yami's forearm, helping him to his feet and letting the taller boy lean on him for support. "Thanks Yugi."

The rest of the group walked forward so they were level with Bakura. "Who's that?" Steve asked, looking at Yami with confusion.

"That's the pharaoh who used to be his yami," Bakura narrowed his eyes, "What's going on? How did he get here."

Yujhi looked up, "His spirit was in the sword."

"Yami, what were you thinking, you could have destroyed yourself," Yugi scolded, but Yami merely smiled.

"I know what I'm doing Yugi," he said, laying his arm around Yugi's shoulders.

The sword flashed in warning.

Suddenly Yami stood up straight, spun Yugi around and tightened his arm around the smaller boy's neck.

"Yami!" Yugi gasped, "You're... choking me!"

"I know..." Yami grinned sinisterly, leaning his face against Yugi's and narrowing his eyes in amusement. "But don't worry..." he muttered, drawing something from underneath his black jacket, "Your death will come last..."

It his hand Yami held the Millennium Ring.

Yugi's eyes grew wide.

The Lost Soul that had plagued them was _Yami_!

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

(1) An ancient Egyptian battle sword.  
BWAHAHA! That last part was frickin' FUN!  
So Bwaha! Yami was the evil guy all along! Some of ya guess it, some of you didn't, so I hope ya liked it!  
The entire explanation as to what's going on will be in the next chappy, but I will say that Yami being the bad guy was hinted at ALL the way back in Torturous Trust, in the last few chaps **XD**  
So please review and I hope you guys like it! Slán for now!  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef 


	14. Yami's Secret Darkness

Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, I don't feel like I have any free time anymore!  
Ahh! I just realised the next chappy is probably gonna be the last or second-last chappy! WAA! -cries- I'm gonna miss this story so much!  
Ok, I'll stop cribin'. Huggles to all my reviewers you guys are the best!

**Reponses to Reviews:**  
**BookDragon:** Bwaha! I freaked out the reviewer! Yup, this has been planned for AGES and I'm glad people are reacting this way! You'll have to read to understand the entire thing, don't lose all hope til you've read the explanation! **XD** Hope you enjoy the chappy!

**yugirules:** I know, Yami's joined the dark side! -cries- Well, they did lose Bakura, so I guess it was only fair **XD** This parts not as interesting, but I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for reviewing!

**Ashla:** Suzie you weirdo, you guessed it back in chapter five! Guess you forgot -sweatdrops- No, you'll have to find the clues yourself! They weren't majorly obvious... like the whole sounding like a Kuriboh was a clue, but I guess that's not very obvious. Anyway, happy clue-searching! Thanks for reviewing too sis! -glomps-

**cheeky-eyes:** Real glad you liked it! Hi Pepper! -waves- Strange, to used to calling Bakura that **XD** Glad you both like it and hope you like this one too!

**Chicary:** Ah, you know me well. But do you know me well enough? And yes, I AM messing with your minds! BWAHA! It's one of the many privileges of being the author. This chappy's gonna explain a few things, so I hope you enjoy!

**pagethereviewer:** Yes, it would be quite dull without twists would it not? Heehee, glad you liked the last chappy and hope this ones half as good -sweatdrops- heehee. Thank you for reviewing!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

**WARNING:** Ya... I'm putting a warning for the way Yami acts at the end, just to be safe.

"This is talking"  
_"These are thoughts and mind-messages"_

**Chapter Thirteen - Yami's Secret Darkness **

The black-clad Yami grinned as Yugi's eyes widened, staring at him with a mixture of shock and fear. He chuckled softly, causing Yugi to shiver, and let his gaze rise to the group standing before him. Each person looked equally as surprised as the boy he was holding with his arm, brown and blue eyes staring at him with horror.

His gaze landed on a pair of familiar brown ones and smiled in fake warmth, "Bakura, how are you my old friend?" he asked, twirling the rope of the Millennium Ring idly around his fingers. His smirk widened as the tomb-robbers eyes filled with anger at the sight of _his_ Millennium Item in Yami's hands. Tightening his arm around Yugi's throat he received a gag from the teen, enjoying the flinches that ran through the group at the sound.

His gaze landed on Ryoura and Yujhi, focussing on the shorter of the two. "I see you've both returned..." he whispered thoughtfully. Yujhi took an involuntary step back. He shook his head, almost sadly, "Foolish, foolish children... You could have saved yourself such torment had you just remained there..."

"Wh-at are you do-ing," Yugi choked out, his hands gripping Yami's arm and trying to pull them away from his throat so he could breath easier, but with a sword in one hand it wasn't an easy task. He considered attacking with the sword, but... could he really attack him? This was _Yami_. There had to be an explanation for all this.

"Hmm?" Yami blinked in mock confusion, tilting his head and looking at the smaller boys face, "My my, Yugi, whatever do you mean?" His arm tightened around Yugi's neck again, receiving another painful gasp from the other Puzzle-spirit.

Yujhi winced and took a step forward, "Why are you doing this!" he yelled angrily, fists clenched by his side, "You're his yami! You're supposed to protect him! Why are you doing this?"

Yami looked up at Yujhi and narrowed his eyes, raising the Millennium Ring directly in front of him, his arm stretched out in line with Yujhi. The Ring suddenly flashed golden, and a wave of magic shot out, striking Yujhi in the chest and hitting him back. Joe had been standing behind the boy and managed to catch him, but the force knocked him to the floor. Lowering the item to his side again, he shook his head and tutted, "It's not polite to yell, Yujhi..." he looked back at Yugi, whose eyes were shut tight in pain. Smiling, he loosened his grip slightly, allowing the teen to gasp in a few breaths. "But it would _also_ be rude of _me_ not to answer your question..."

"You want to know why I'm here? Why I'm acting this way?" he looked around the at the silent faces, so full of anger and hate, yet too afraid of him to attack, he leaned down and hissed into his once-hikari's ear, "It's because _you_... _You_ made me this way Yugi..."

Yugi opened his eyes slowly and moved them to look at Yami's. They were life-less; moving, gazing, glaring, but not alive. "Me?" he muttered, his voice sounding before his mind knew it had.

Yami's eyes narrowed and his grip tightened again, instantly cutting off Yugi's air suply. Ilia gasped and Yujhi moved his hands as if to cover his face, but stopped half-way. Bakura clenched his hands and the other three looked ready to attack. But they didn't. "Yes! You!" Yami yelled, his voice flaring with anger, "You ruined my life that day you left... I didn't want to eat or talk, because food had no taste and all I could talk about was how I let you down. I didn't want to sleep or think, because every time I closed my eyes _you_ were there! I couldn't get you out of my head!

"And THEN!" he yelled as he grabbed the shoulder of Yugi's jacket and throwing him to the floor. Yugi gasped and coughed heavily, but didn't try to get up, "Then you did the worst thing of all! You came _back_, and for a few pitiful minutes I thought my life was alright," he scoffed and slammed his foot down on the teens back, hearing a yell of protect from Yujhi as Yugi cried out in pain, "but you didn't stay... You left me Yugi! You left me again after giving me the false hope that life could be normal again! Did you think it was funny! Do you _like_ toying with peoples emotions? Do you _like_ destroying peoples lives?"

"No..." Yugi muttered weakly, shaking his head. Tears were brimming in his eyes and his hand tightened around the hilt of the sword.

_"Yugi!"_

Yugi let out a yell as the voice echoed in his mind, throwing the sword away from himself as if it had burned him. He would have scrambled further away had Yami's foot not been holding him in place. But... wasn't it Yami's voice he heard from the sword?

_"Yugi, listen-!"_

It was Yami. Yugi threw up a mental barrier around himself, silencing the voice that echoed in his mind. Was he in both the sword and in his own form? Was he trying to taunt him more?

"_No_?" the Yami above him hissed, digging his heel in Yugi's back angrily. Then, suddenly, he raised his foot away from Yugi, placing it on the floor and smiling slightly, "No... Of coarse you didn't... because you're my Yugi..." he knelt down and grabbed the back of the boys collar, lifting him off the floor and wrapping both arms around the boy's shoulders again, "My brother would never want to hurt me like that, would he?"

Yugi shivered, terrified at the spirit's sudden change of personality. Unable to form words from his stuttering mouth, he just shook his head, looking up at Yami with wide, fearful eyes.

"No, of coarse not..." Yami smiled eerily, and had his grip been a little lighter, it almost seemed like the spirit was hugging Yugi. His voice suddenly dropped when he spoke next. "But you did."

Yugi's heart leapt. What was he going to to now?

"So it's only fitting you suffer just as much as I did..." Yami let Yugi got abruptly and stood up, the Puzzle-spirit at his feet too scared and shocked to move. Raising his arms out beside him Yami shut his eyes and a golden glow surrounded him.

Ryoura's eyes widened and he stepped back, "Bakura is he-?"

"Yes," Bakura growled, turning to the others. "Get out of here!"

"Are you serious!" Steve and Joe yelled in unison, both shook his was Bakura who had said it and not one of them.

Yujhi looked back and forth from Yami to Bakura, "What about Yugi?"

Bakura grabbed Yujhi's jacket and started dragging him away from Yami and Yugi, "If you value your life in the slightest you'll move!"

"Bakura it's no good!" Ilia called, looking back, "He's put up a barrier!"

Cursing to himself Bakura looked back at Yami.

Two glowing items appeared in the air in front of Yami's hands, his fingers closing around them, and another appeared around his neck. One more appeared around the wrist opposite to the one the Millennium Ring hung from, and when the light died Yugi saw five Millennium Items adorning his darker half, the eye and scales in his hand, key around his neck and Ring and Necklace around his wrists.

Half opening his eyes he smirked down at Yugi, then with a simple flick of his wrist Yugi was lifted off the floor, hovering only lightly above the ground in front of Yami. Yugi tried to move his arms, but found himself almost frozen, unable to move his hands more then an inch or so through the air.

Stepping forward the taller spirit wrapped his arms around Yugi's torso and pressed both the Eye and the Scales against the Millennium Puzzle hanging around Yugi's neck, lifting it up so Yugi could just see his friends over the top of it's golden surface. Leaning his head against the side of Yugi's, Yami grinned, "I had to suffer the death of my closest friend... for you to truly feel the same amount of grief with a short amount of time to live... Killing _all_ of your friends will have to do."

"No!" Yugi yelled, struggling hard against the invisible magic that bound him. It was no use. Tears brimmed in Yugi's eyes as he looked at his friends, who had turned to face him when he'd yelled, "Please Yami, don't do this..."

Yami shook his head slightly, "You didn't listen to me when I asked you not to leave me... why should I listen to you now?"

Bakura narrowed his eyes. _"He has us trapped... there's no way out..."_ he raised his arm across himself and slashed sideways in his usual fashion to summon the Millennium Sabre, _"To hell if I'm not going to die fighting..."_

"Ah ah ah," Yami scolded playfully as he watched Bakura summon the glowing green sword, "Fighting is wrong." He lifted a finger from holding the items and pointed it forward.

Ryoura yelled as an excruciating flare of pain shot through his arm, gripping the injury the spirit had inflicted on his arm hours before, just before dragging him into the temple. He tried desperately to hold back a cry, but the pain was too much. His vision swam and his body grew weak, collapsing to the floor as the injury on his arm glowed a fiery red once again. It only lasted a few seconds, but the pain was so intense tears had fallen from Ryoura's eyes without him even realising it.

"Ryoura!" Bakura faltered as he was about to charge, looking back at his light when he had yelled.

A perfect distraction.

"No! Don't do it!" Yugi yelled as a glow erupted from all the items around him. Yami chuckled in Yugi's ear and the boys vision was blinded by the glow of the items and the tears in his eyes.

"Don't worry, little one..." Yami whispered tauntingly in his ear, "I haven't finished _toying_ with them as you did me, this is just a warm up... Should one of them die, wonderful. Should it not, it leaves more fun for me later."

Yugi cried out as an explosion of magic tore forth, aimed higher then Yugi had expected. The area thundered as the magic struck the ceiling, glowing cracks shooting across the thick rock surface." No!"

Bakura threw his arm up and held the Millennium Sabre horizontally above him, gripping the hilt tight and placing his hand on the flat side of the blade. As a large portion of the rock broke away, a wave of magic emitted from the sword, spreading a creating a rounded barrier above the group. Bakura gasp as energy tore out of his body to fuse the barrier, his vision fading.

"Guys help!" Ilia called to the others as she jumped to Bakura's side and grabbed his arm, trying to help keep the barrier up by giving him some of her powers. Steve was quickly at Bakura's other arm, not sure what to do but gripping Bakura's arm as well, a wave of energy fleeing him instantly. Joe pulled Ryoura to his feet and they both gripped Steve's arm, transferring their energy to him and then Bakura.

Bakura blinked, dazed at the flood of magic in his body. Stars seemed to swim before his eyes, the energies becoming overpowering. He couldn't focus, the power was too much for him to handle.

So his spell broke, the barrier shattering in a bright green light. The rocks collapsed down on the group. Another, almost unnoticeable white light flashed near the group -a final attempt to save themselves?- before the rocks crashed down on top of Yugi's friends.

Yami laughed loudly and hugged the crying Yugi, "This is so much fun! So much fun!" he giggled insanely as he released the magical ties on Yugi's body, holding onto the teen and he thrashed and kicked wildly, trying to get free of the spirits grasp. "No, not yet Yugi... I want to kill them in one final battle. To torture them there, and have you watch every bit of it..."

"No! Let me go! Yujhi!" Yugi yelled tearfully as Yami began to pull him away from the rubble that lay before them. He tried everything, from kicking to scratching and even tried biting, but nothing worked. He called his hikari and his friends, he tried to reach out with his magic but found Yami had blocked them, and he tried again and again to get free of his others grasp. Nothing worked. Feeling helpless and heartbroken, Yugi let his head drop to rest on the arm Yami still had around his shoulders, tears streaming down his face.

Yami merely chuckled and continued down the corridor, dragging the sobbing teen with him and humming happily to himself.

* * *

"You saved us..." Joe whispered, his voice mixed with shock and confusion. All around him was rubble, rocks that had fallen from the ceiling and crashed around them, burying them alive. But a barrier had appeared around them just before the rocks fell too far, so they rocks were built around them in a domed shape. "Why?" 

Ilia clung to Steve's arm, afraid of what she saw in front of her. Steve reached his hand over and placed it on her arm, but whether to reassure himself or her she didn't know. "What's going on?" She asked, tightening her grip on Steve's arm as the person looked at her.

Or rather spirit. A grey-scale, translucent image of Yami stood in the centre of the dome, a soft wave of magic emitting from his form.

"Please..." Yami whispered, his voice full of such sadness Ilia couldn't help but for sorry for him, if only for a fleeting moment, "I made a mistake... I've come back to correct it."

"You split up your soul."

Yami turned his head slightly towards the tomb-robber sitting to his left. The thief had been unlucky to have been hit in the head by one of the smaller rocks that had fallen before the barrier was erected, and was presently pressing some of the material from the end of his jacket against the injury in his left temple while sitting on the floor. Ryoura stood by his side, still a little shaken from his injury hurting him again. He hadn't taken his eyes off Yami yet, however, and was too tense to sit down. "Yes..." Yami answered simply, his eyes lowering to the floor.

"Wait.. what are you talking about?" Steve asked, looking fro Yami to Bakura. "Split your soul? You... You can _do that?_"

"Yes," Bakura nodded, pulling the material away from his injury before pressing it down a little harder, "Put simply, you can take a part of yourself, of your existence, and place it in an object..." Bakura raised his gaze to Yami, "The Millennium Puzzle?"

Yami nodded solemnly, "I... I don't know why I did it... I guess I just wanted to protect Yugi... after I was gone..."

_"Yugi was locked away in the Puzzle and he still felt the need to protect him?"_ Ilia thought sadly, _"The poor guy... he never got over losing him..."_

"When I placed a portion of my soul within the Millennium Puzzle, it was the day Yugi had reappeared to me," Yami continued, still looking at the floor, "He'd disappeared so suddenly I was torn, but it was like a wake-up call. I realised he was really gone forever...

"But I didn't want to leave him to carry my legacy alone, so I put some of my own soul into the Millennium Puzzle,(1)" Yami closed his eyes and shook his head, "But I forced out all my anger... I only put in the part of my soul that I had become most familiar with over the months, I never realised what I was doing. This spirit that attacked you, this part of me, is filled with nothing but anger and hurt. He's a reflection of my self-hate, my loneliness, my guilt and my secret anger towards Yugi at leaving me. That's it. He has no other emotion. He doesn't have the side of me that realised why Yugi did all this, that he," Yami swallowed hard, "that he did it because he loved me and wanted me to have the life he believed I deserved. Over the years I learned to understand that, and I lived how I thought Yugi would have wanted me too.

"But this part of me has none of that. Though he has some care for Yugi, he is only out to satisfy himself." Yami raised his head and looked around at the group around him, "Once his anger has been quelled he will cease the need to live and will disappear from existence, returning to my true soul."

"True soul?" Yujhi asked before the others could.

"My soul in the afterlife," Yami smiled sadly at Yujhi, spreading his arms slightly beside him, "What you see now is only another, weaker portion of my soul, a mere reflection. My darker side is fuelled with your life-force," he said, looking to Ryoura, "So his had powers now I couldn't compete with."

"What did you say?" Bakura growled, glaring at Yami.

The spirit sighed, "I know your angry, Bakura, but Ryoura is-"

Bakura was on his feet in a second, "Only alive because of someone elses life-force!"

"Mine," Yami said sternly, narrowing his eyes at Bakura. In an eerily calm voice he continued, "We don't have time for this Bakura. If we don't stop my darker side soon I will cease to exist. I'm using more energy then I should keeping this barrier up, and if I stay much longer I won't be able to protect any of you. He _will_ kill you. He has decided that's what will satisfy his anger and it's all he exists for. Unless you can defeat him in a head-on battle, he will follow you all for the rest of your lives until he makes sure you meet a painful end. And Yugi will be dragged along with him..."

Yujhi looked at Yami sadly. As a pure soul instead of a solid being, Yami's emotions were a little easier to pick up to the people around him. As he was connected with the Millennium Puzzle, Yujhi was even more aware of the spirits emotions, and could feel the guilt Yami felt in the pit of his stomach. It was painful. Shaking his head to try and clear his thoughts, Yujhi pulled himself to his feet also. "So how do we stop him?"

Yami looked up and smiled slightly. Yujhi reminded him of his own hikari. When he spoke, his voice was that of authority, demanding the attention of those around him, "You need to get out of here before we came do anything, but my magic isn't strong enough, you'll have to do that yourself." he looked around at the group, all of who nodded in turn. Bakura just grunted, avoiding Yami's eyes. He was probably still upset to learn his hikari had been temporarily dead.

Pushing his worry aside, Yami looked at Yujhi, "When you get out, I'll have returned to my other form. I _must_ get to Yugi. Most likely my darker side has gone down to the lowest floor, which is actually a mistake on his part. If I can get to Yugi while in there, I'll be able to summon more of my powers."

"How come?" Ryoura asked, speaking for the first time to Yami. He had been a little nervous, even afraid, to talk to Yami, but once he learned the spirit had saved his life he was a little less worried. _"Besides, I knew he was the little ball of light from the start, and I would have sensed if he was bad. I know I can trust him."_

"You'll see. If it works," Yami said, closing his eyes. "Get ready..." he whispered, hearing almost instantly the sound of shuffling around him. Bakura had moved nearer the centre of the circle and the others had joined him. Once he felt the magic building between them his took a deep breath and sighed shakily; holding the barrier was harder then it looked, "Three... Two... One... now!"

At once his body lost all form in the physical world, melting into the thin fabric of the dimension between the world of spirits and the world of the living. To them, he was no more then an orb of light now. At the same time, he felt an explosion of magic that struck the now falling rocks, not to powerful but enough to prevent any from falling on the group. Rocks scattered around them, but they remained unharmed.

Sighing with relief, Yami blinked as an odd sound reached his ears. His sigh, mingled with an odd, Kuriboh-like noise. The only noise the others could hear ofrm him. _"They won't be able to understand me unless I use I talk through mind, and I need to save what little magic I have. Let's hope they don't need to much help from me yet, I've been reckless enough with my magic so far..."_

"Is everybody ok?" Yujhi called, gaining a murmur of 'ya's from the coughing group. "Good." Reaching forward he gripped the rocks before him, wedging his foot between two large ones, pulling himself upwards. "Come on! We can't wait any longer."

His second voice, reacting with his emotions, made a positive noise as Yami floated off the floor and over the rocks. Looking back at the group he smiled as they quickly stumbled over the rocks, then looked forward at the dark corridor before him, _"Hold on Yugi. We're coming."_

* * *

"Yugi, Yugi, Yugi," Yami's darker side tutted as he dragged the teen into the lowest room of the temple, surrounded once again by the paintings and stories of the Millennium Items, "You really should stop thrashing, you'll only hurt yourself." He stopped near the end of the room and looked up at the paintingof himself, grabbing Yugi's chin and jerking his head sideways to look at it, "'The Great Pharaoh Atemu', eh? Quite a title, and all you managed was the 'King of Games'." 

"Let me go!" Yugi yelled. His tears had subsided long ago, and now he was flaring with anger. "I can't believe you did that Yami. I just can't believe you!"

"Believe it Little Yugi, because no nightmare could be as horrible as what I have planned for your friends..."

Yugi gasped slightly. What was Yami going to do? And 'Little Yugi'...? Only his enemies had ever called him that...

Shutting his eyes he turned his face away from the painting on the large column. Yami chuckled lightly and dragged Yugi a little further, then dropped him. Yugi yelped as he fell, cringing when he stumbled and hitting hisback on aset of hard stone steps. Gritting his teeth Yugi sat up and rubbed his lower back, then looked back at the statue of a pharaoh laying on the floor behind him. Init were holes made in the shape of each Millennium Item. "The Millennium Stone...?" Yugi whispered.

"I've already decided what I shall do to Bakura," Yami smiled, ignoring Yugi. He stood with his back to the younger boy, looking around him lazily. "The Gods gave me the idea... I'll chop him up, piece by piece, while he's still alive..."

Yugi's head jerked towards Yami, his eyes wide with shock.

"Yes..." Yami grinned, "I'll put a spell on him... I'll keep him alive as I cut him up... I'll start with his fingers," he raised his hand and made a scissor-like shape with his fingers, placing his other hand between them, "One by one, snip snip snip."

"Y-Yami?" Yugi whispered, shivering.

"And what of Ryoura...? Ah yes! Yes, I'll make him a puppet!" Yami almost clapped with delight, rubbing his hands together, "And I'll give him a knife, I will. And make him _kill_ Joe, stab him," he punched his hand against his palm, "again and again and again. To be killed by your best friend, that's wonderful. A wonderful idea...

"The Kaiba-"

"You are not my Yami!" Yugi screamed, charging forward and tackling the spirit to the floor. The two crashed onto the hard stone and the force made Yugi roll to the side. He got to his knees quickly and just as the spirit was getting up he threw his fist forward. It connected with Yami's jawand madehis head jerk sideways, and Yugi was quick to throw another punch. Launching himself at the other Yugi pinned him to the floor. "Yami would never say things like that!" Yugi yelled, tears of fear and anger brimming as his eyes. He punched the spirit in the mouth, splitting his lip, then across the face with his other hand. "Never!"

A hand launched up and grabbed Yugi's shoulder, pushing him down so quickly his shoulder had struck the floor before he had time to react. Now he was pinned down, the spirits hands pressing hard on his upper-arms to prevent him from punching. He tried to kick the spirit, but couldn't. Fuming, Yugi narrowed his eyes and raised his gaze to meet Yami's.

All his confidence vanished when he saw the smirk on Yami's face.

"Oh, but that's just it Yugi..." Yami whispered, Yugi's struggling ceasing at the sound of his voice, "I _am_ Yami. You can deny it all you wish... but one quick soul-search would be all you needed to prove to you who I am."

Yugi shook his head in denial. "Y-you can't. It's not pos-"

"Yes it is..." Yami whispered quietly, making Yugi shiver. Still smiling he pressed hard on Yugi's arms as he pushed himself to his feet. He strolled away from the boy, who lay perfectly still staring at the ceiling, and folded his arms, looking at the entrance to the large room. He smiled as a soft wave of magic ran over his soul, but didn't look back. It grew warmer, more probing, until it jerked away. He chuckled and looked back at the boy behind, who was now lying with his eyes closed, tears streaming down his face. "See? One soul-search proved everything. Face it Yugi... the Yami you knew died along with your body, when you left him to live with the guilt of your death on his conscience. He's gone now, Yugi... I'm all that's left because of you..."

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

(1) This actually happened in Chapter 13 of **Soul Destruction; Torturous Trust**: 

_For a minute Yugi thought Yami was going to try and piece the Puzzle together again, but he didn't. Instead, he clenched the piece in his hand and sighed heavily, before dropping it into the golden box. Yugi blinked. He thought he'd seen a glow._

That's what the glowing was; Yami was putting part of his soul inside the Puzzle.

Bleh, horrible ending, but I liked it overall. Only did a quick check, so forgive the mistakes. I'm supposed to be in bed!  
No ranting from me. Please review and let me know what you think **XD**  
Slán slán for now people!  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef


	15. Soul Destruction

**Note:** This chappy is very crammed, so it may be a little confusing. Any questions, just leave 'em in a review **XD**

Ok! Ok! Hey people! Welcome to the long-awaited Chapter Fourteen of **Soul Destruction; Metempsychosis**! Question, has anyone looked up the word 'metempsychosis'? It was important to the plot, ya know! **XD**  
I hope you guys enjoy the chappy! You finally get to see where the Soul Destruction name came from! Well, actually, it came from a slightly different version of the plot; but plots develop and stories change, so it's an ikkle different. Mostly the same though.  
30 views for a teaser! Thankies peeps! -glomp-  
No more babbling! You guys got a lot to read! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

"This is talking"  
_"These are thoughts and mind-messages"_

**Chapter Fourteen - Soul Destruction **

"My darkness is near," Yami called back to the group racing behind him, hearing the chirping of his Kuriboh-like voice in his own ears. Though English left his mouth, that was not what the others heard. He was about to stop and try to warn them when he heard Ryoura calling Yami's message to the others. _"Of coarse, he can understand me!"_ He almost felt like hitting himself for forgetting.

At Yami's relayed words, the group slowed down to little faster then a jog, before slowing to a walk. They had all been racing as fast as their feet had been able to carry them, but not one of them knew what was going to happen once they reached Yami's darker side. Where they supposed to attack? Should they burst in to jump the dark spirit, or creep in and surprise him? Could they, even? The spirit now held six Millennium Items, the only one left being the Millennium Rod the Steve gripped tightly in his fist.

Ilia stepped a little closer to Steve as the rounded a corner, a square patch of light appearing at the opposite end of the corridor. Seeing this, Steve reached out and held her hand, squeezing it tightly. Joe and Ryoura glanced at each other, but quickly looked away. Neither teen wanted their friend to see they were scared. Bakura led the group silently, walking quickly, but just slow enough to show his mind was distracted. Like the rest of the group, he was wondering what was going to happen when they reached the chamber.

* * *

"Hmm... they are close..." the dark spirit of Yami whispered to himself, a smirk spreading across his face as he turned away from the entrance of the chamber to look to Yugi. The Puzzle-spirit was sitting on the steps of the alter, eyes cast to the floor and wrists pressed one on top of the other, resting on his knees and bound in a glowing red chain of magic.

Turning Yami made his way towards the younger boy, raising his hand and pointing towards him. With a flash of light, Yugi's wrists jumped up into the air and pulled him to his feet, gaining a yelp from the puzzle-spirit. Yami stopped where he was and flicked his hand as if beckoning Yugi to him, and the same force dragged Yugi quickly, wrists first and feet dragging along the floor, towards Yami. Throwing his hand up in the air as the puzzle-spirit nearly collided with him, Yugi was lifted a foot or so off the ground right in front of Yami, hanging painfully by his wrists. "We must prepare for them..." Yami hissed, smiling.

Yugi forced his eyes open and frowned, "Yami-"

"Shut up!" Yami yelled in a burst of anger, throwing his arm down. A force struck Yugi hard from above and crushed him against the floor until Yami lifted his hand, releasing the pressure off him. Yugi coughed and looked up at Yami with a mixture of fear and hatred, but Yami ignored him. Throwing his hand up again Yugi shot into the air and hung a few feet off the ground. Yami smirked and said, "There's no point in arguing with me Yugi... I have made my decision."

Yugi narrowed his eyes and swung his leg forward without a second thought, striking the dark spirit square the in chest. Yami stumbled back and gasp, the wind having been knocked out of him from the attack.

Yami raised his gaze to Yugi's and narrowed his eyes in anger. "You'll pay for that..." he hissed.

"I don't know who you are..." Yugi whispered, staring right back at the spirit without fear, "but you're not Yami... At least not anymore. I can see it in your eyes," the spirit blinked at this then scoffed and turned away, as if trying to hide his eyes from Yugi, "There's no life in you. The only reason you're here is because you stole someone else's life force. But that means nothing, does it? You're already dead..."

"What do you know of these things?" the darker Yami sighed, sounding bored, suddenly finding the cuff of his jacket very interesting.

"I..." Yugi looked down, "I know that your soul... your soul _is_ Yami, there's no doubt about that..." The spirit smirked and began to examine his other sleeve, "But _you_ are only a small part of him. Your soul is in pieces, pulled together by one powerful emotion, one I can only assume is anger or hate-"

Yami sighed dramatically, silencing Yugi. "Are you trying to comfort yourself, Yugi?" he asked, turning to face the younger spirit, "Are you trying to reassure yourself with lies so you don't have to feel guilty for making me this way? I suppose I can understand..." he smirked and took a step towards Yugi, who clearly would have stepped back had his feet been touching the ground, "After all, you've felt the guilt of letting your hikari get taken for months..."

Yugi frowned, refusing to break eye contact, "The rest of you felt the same way about me as I do for Yujhi; Yami would never let anything happen to me, not if he could help it."

The spirit's smirk faded slightly, "You say my name as if I'm not here."

"You're here," Yugi growled angrily, "but Yami's not."

Sighing heavily the spirit waved his hand dismissively, "Again with the denial."

"What denial?" Yugi asked, shifting slightly. He was obviously in much more pain then he was showing, hanging by his wrists. "You think that just because you're one of his emotions you represent Yami? You may be a piece of his soul, but your saturated with hate and loathing that's had millennia to grow and form it's own personality. You're just a creation of darkness and the Shadow Realm, just like Yami Marik was. And just like Yami Marik, I'm going to find a way to defeat you."

Yami chuckled and shook his head, "Oh... Poor Yugi... You have no idea what's going on, do you? Did five thousand years alone blur your mind to the difference between reality and imagination?" Yami stepped forward again and raised his hand beside Yugi's face. The younger spirit jerked away, but movement was restricted, so Yami merely smiled at his reaction. Placing his hand on the side of Yugi's face he forced the spirit to look at him, "I don't like your attitude, Yugi," he gripped the side of Yugi's face, digging his nails into the skin just under Yugi's eyes, earning a hiss of pain from the puzzle-spirit, "But murderers can't be choosers... I have a little task for you..."

_"A task?"_ Yugi forced his open, just before Yami took his hand away from Yugi's face and held it before his eye. Yugi's eyes grew wide and he tried to yell.

The darkness claimed him before he could.

* * *

The tension was so deep the entire group jumped when the Kuriboh-chirp of Yami's voice spoke up, though much quieter then usual, "I must get to Yugi," he said, repeating himself from their earlier conversation.

"To summon more power, right?" Ryoura asked, as the only member of the group that had understood what Yami said.

"Exactly. I don't want any of you in any unnecessary danger, but I don't believe my darkness will attack you right away," Yami paused as he waited for Ryoura to relay the message, then said, "so I need you to go in first, so I can make my move and reach Yugi before my darkness knows what has happened."

Bakura frowned when Ryoura finished translating Yami's words. "Oh? And what if Yugi's already dead?"

The group visible flinched at Bakura's words. "Bakura don't say that!" Ilia gasped, holding Steve's hand tighter.

"Well Pharaoh?" Bakura looked up at the ball of light, "I want an answer. If we get in there and Yugi's dead, then you won't have a catalyst to summon any more of your powers. What then?" he shook his head, "I refuse to walk deliberately into a trap."

"Bakura!" Ryoura was shocked at his yami's harshness, but the spiritual form of Yami, visible to Ryoura as a human while to the others he was a mere ball of light, nodded in understanding, though he looked hurt. Frowning, Ryoura relayed Yami's words as he spoke, "He says that his darker side won't kill Yugi before... he kills us... He wants Yugi to suffer," Ryoura spoke with a dead tone; he didn't want to give life to these words anymore, "so he'll kill us first."

"And I can sense him..." Yami sighed, shutting his eyes momentarily. "A weak wave of repressed magic... but it's unmistakably Yugi's. I would recognise that soul signature anywhere."

"Me too," Yujhi nodded in agreement, his eyes also shut like Yami's. "Yugi's still alive, guys."

"Then we'll get him back," Joe tapped Yujhi on the shoulder to snap him out of his trance, giving his smaller friend a thumbs up, "don't worry about it!"

Bakura scoffed and looked back at the group, "Don't make promises you may not be able to keep."

"A little optimism never hurt, Bakura," Ryoura smiled, looking towards the door. They had come much closer to the door as they talked, and were now only a short distance from it. The light behind it seemed to have dimmed. Bakura stopped, and the group stopped behind him.

Yami fell back a little. "Whenever your ready."

"I'll never be ready..." Steve muttered, only loud enough for Ilia to hear. Lifting the Millennium Rod from his side and holding it in front of him he looked down into the eye of the item. _"Don't mess us."_ he mentally ordered, glancing up when he saw the others moving. Taking a deep breath he followed. _"Don't mess up Steve."_

* * *

The room they entered flared to life the moment the ground entered. Two torches had been lit by the alter at the opposite side of the long chamber, the pathway to it lined with thick large columns painted with images of pharaohs and Egyptian gods, but it shed little light. As soon as Bakura's foot touched the floor, however, flames erupted from the torches embedded in each pillar, casting a fiery glow across the pillars and the floor between them.

Instantly Bakura's gaze shot to the areas behind the columns, still in darkness, a perfect place to hide. But he needn't have. Yami was in clear view when the lights came on, standing right beside the doorway they had just walked through, leaning against the wall. He smirked when the group spotted him and jumped back. "It's about time."

"Where's Yugi?" Yujhi demanded at once. He had been planning to keep calm and try to distract the spirit into a conversation of some sort, so his good side could find Yugi. One smirk had made him snap, though.

"Yugi?" Yami asked in fake confusion, looking to the ceiling. He wasn't worried about taking his eyes off his enemies, which unsettled them all. Smiling in an almost friendly fashion, he looked at the group and pointed behind them, "Why, he's right behind you!"

"Down!" Bakura yelled, the group obeying immediately. The blade of a sword swung right over their heads. While Bakura kept his eye on Yami, the rest of the group turned to Yugi, standing a few feet behind the group with the hilt of a sword gripped tightly in his hands. Surprising, the Puzzle still hung around his neck.

"Yugi!" Yujhi yelled, getting back to his feet, quickly followed by his friends.

"He's under a spell!" Ryoura grabbed Yujhi's arm in case he went to make a move towards his yami, whose normally violet eyes had darkened, almost black now. Before he could say anymore Yugi leapt forward again, swinging his sword in an arch towards the group. They managed to dodge it, but only narrowly.

"I believe he received his swordsmanship skill from me," Yami said, almost proudly, as Yugi managed to inflict a deep cut in Joe's arm, "from when I was Pharaoh. I was good at it. So good I was given my very own khepesh sword-"

"Are you so scared of us your going to make Yugi do all your fighting for you!" Bakura yelled angrily, and in a flash of green his Millennium Sabre appeared. It took much more effort then Bakura let on, his magic was weaker then any of the others right now. Yami glanced at the sword with little interest, then smiled at Bakura. This did nothing but infuriate the spirit more, "Come on and fight me _Pharaoh_! Or must I kill your hikari to get your attention?"

"You will do no such thing," Yami said calmly, a smile still on his face, "that's my job."

Bakura growled, "You call yourself a yami..."

"I used to, but not anymore," Yami looked over Bakura's shouldered and his eyebrow rose with interest, "Your friends don't seem to be holding up very well. If they don't stop using so much magic they'll run out."

"Don't think you can trick me into turning around," Bakura muttered, but he knew Yami was right. From where he was standing he could feel waves of magic in the air. The were using far to much. _"Ryoura! Stop using so much magic!"_

_"We don't have a choice Bakura!"_ Ryoura's panicked voice echoed in his mind, _"His attacks come too fast, we've no other way to defend ourselves!"_

Yami wasn't going to attack, he was to busy enjoying his entertainment. _"Do I attack him, or Yugi?"_ Bakura thought. If he attacked Yami, the spirit would surely be provoked into using at the power of his items, which may distract him long enough for his lighter side to get to Yugi. But a spontaneous attack from Yami could be more damaging then it was worth.

Steve yelled and swung the Millennium Rod upwards, blocking the sword attack from Yugi by catching the blade in the wing-like designs beside the eye. He stumbled back as Yugi swung the sword at him again, instinctively throwing up a barrier. The sword bounced off the barrier, but with that slight resistance Yugi turned on another member of the group.

"Yugi snap out of it!" Yujhi yelled as his yami dived at Ilia, and would have struck her had Joe not crashed into Yugi's side just in time.

He'd been standing around too long, he had to help. Turning away from Yami Bakura darted for Yugi, surprised the spirit didn't attack his at he ran, and thrust his blade in the path of Yugi's, stopping it from striking Ryoura. "Move!" he yelled at his hikari, striking Yugi's blade back and standing, sword ready, before Yugi.

"Could I break the spell?" Steve called, holding up the Millennium Rod.

"It's worth a shot!" Ilia said as she appeared at Steve's side. With Bakura as his main target now, Yujhi, Joe and Ryoura quickly joined Ilia and Steve, automatically reaching their hands out and placing them on Steve's arms and shoulders. He needed all the strength he could get.

"What do I do?" Steve asked, bewildered.

"Just focus your power, I'll do the rest," Ilia said, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other over his hand that held the Millennium Rod directly in front of him. Steve could feel the energies and magic from his friends mixing inside his body, making him feel sick, but Ilia was quick to manipulate the powers inside him and focus them in the Millennium Rod, muttering the words of a spell under her breath.

Bakura pressed his blade hard against Yugi's, holding it there. Yugi was surprisingly strong, but Bakura had the height advantage. Glancing sideways, Bakura's eyes grew wide. _"Where's Yami gone!"_

Steve yelled and threw his arms in the arm, before bringing the Millennium Rod down to strike the floor. An explosion of magic shot from the eye of the Rod, shining golden, and struck Yugi hard in the back between the shoulder blades. The force threw Yugi forward into Bakura, the sword slipping from his fingers and hitting the cold stone floor. Almost instantly his eyes shot open and looked up at Bakura, shock evident in his voice. "B-Bakura?"

The Ring-keeper shoved the confused Yugi roughly away from himself and turned to face the spot where Yami had once been. Where had he gone?

"Whoa..." Steve blinked a he opened his eyes, his vision swimming before him. "Th-that was hard..."

"I'll never get used to that energy sharing thing..." Joe sighed.

"Why not share some of that wonderful energy with me?"

A stream of red magic shot into the room from outside the doorway, whipping through the air like a vine and struck Steve square in the chest. An explosion of light threw the group apart, the red cord of magic wrapping quickly around the Millennium Rod in Steve's hand and tearing it from it's masters grip. "No!" Steve yelled, diving for the Rod, but it was pulled out of his reach and he crashed to the floor.

The red cord tossed the Millennium Rod back and faded away, sending the item spiralling towards the door, where Yami appeared, hand raised, to catch the Rod with little or no effort in the palm in his hand. He twirled it slightly before lowering his hand, looking at it with the same spark in his eyes as a child with a new toy. "Impressive spell." Yami complemented in Steve's direction, though the teen was clearly too dazed to hear, "Shame I predicted it."

_"Bakura..."_ Ryoura's voice echoed, the teen pushing himself to his feet, _"That red thing, it... drained my magic."_

"What?" Bakura looked back at Ryoura as he pulled Ilia to her feet. Yugi and Yujhi ran to each other with the same questions of concern leaving their mouths, Steve and Joe pushing themselves off the floor, looking towards Yami. The level of magic radiating from the group had certainly decreased.

"Ah yes, the magic loss," Yami waved his hand through the air, uninterested. "Well, they were sharing their powers with Steve, why not me also?"

Bakura growled and looked back at Yugi, who had just turned his attention to Yami. _"Where the hell is that stupid ball of-"_

"Language, tomb-robber," Yami scolded in fake shock, "there's no need to get angry. This is what your looking for, isn't it?"

The entire group froze in shock as Yami held up his hand, a red glowing box of magic floating a few inches above his hand, a number of tread-like lines shooting through it.

And right in the centre was the lighter side of Yami's soul, imprisoned in crimson magic.

Yami smirked as the group stared at the box in shock, "You should not think your plans so loudly," he muttered, lowering his hand, the box staying floating in the air, and pulling the Millennium Eye out of his pocket, "Your minds can hide nothing once I'm searching for your thoughts..."

_"Yugi was a distraction,"_ Bakura thought, realisation hitting him, _"So he could trap is lighter side!"_

"What a sharp little tomb-robber you are," Yami smiled, and almost as soon as he did a pair of solid rock doorways shot out of the sides of the doorway and crashed together, blocking the only way out of the room. Yami pocketed the eye, "But not smart enough to stay out of here…"

A flash came from the red box, accompanied with a Kuriboh noise. But this was not a chirp like the others. It was an agonising screech. Chuckling Yami hit the box, forcing it to float a little further upwards. When Yugi looked more closely, he noticed the ball of light had shrunk. "My lighter side will not be able to help you now, not with my spell of Soul Destruction."

"Soul Destruction?" Yugi whispered, fear gripping him. No, he couldn't do that!

"Yes... quite a painful fate. Some say an eternity in the Shadow Realm is more desirably then the few minutes this spell lasts. I'm sure my light will enjoy it," Yami twirled the rod and smirked, "do you believe _he_ is your other half?" he pointed towards the orb, "Then witness the death of your Yami!"

"No!" Yugi yelled helplessly. He would have charged to aid his yami, but the darker side pointed the Rod forward and sent a ball of magic towards the group. Grabbing Yujhi's hand Yugi darted left while Bakura and the others darted right, diving out of the line of fire.

Yami laughed loudly, his arms thrown out by his side. Behind him the box flashed again, and another cry of agony followed. "This is it, Yugi! I will finally have my revenge!"

Yugi pressed himself against the pillar halfway between the door and the alter, trying desperately to steady his breaths, as if not to alert Yami to his presence. Yujhi gripped the sleeve of Yugi's jacket, hands shivering in fear. The younger one yelped slightly when Yami's cold laugh sounded, but shut his mouth tightly afterwards.

"Oh Yugi... How long will you drag out this little game of ours?" Yami asked, his voice dropped drastically to a calm, icy cold. There was a ring of metal on metal through the air; the Millennium Rod had been unsheathed, revealing a golden blade. "You know neither you nor your friends will leave this temple alive... why prolong the torment?" Yujhi looked up at Yugi, half waiting for him to answer, but the spirit just narrowed his eyes and raised an arm in front of Yujhi protectively. They were trapped.

Ryoura and Bakura hid behind a pillar across the room from Yugi and Yujhi, Steve behind the next and Ilia and Joe behind the one next to him. There was a good ten feet between each pillar, and not one person dared move between them for fear of being struck down by the awaiting Yami.

Bakura cursed in his mind and peered around the pillar. Luckily, Yami's gaze was locked on the area where Yugi and Yujhi where, so he didn't see the tomb-robber. Forcing his glare away from the dark spirit laden with golden Millennium Items, Bakura's eyes travelled to the sealed doorway, and to the shrinking ball of light encased in the red box of magic floating before it. _"Damn it Yami... What are we supposed to do?"_

_"Bakura, how're we supposed to stop him?"_ Steve's voice echoed in his mind, causing the thief to glance his way. He didn't know the Kaiba could already speak through mind. Ryoura, who was one one knee peering around the pillar, looked up at Bakura when he sensed the spirits surprise.

_"I don't know..."_ Bakura admitted to Steve, and judging by the way the teen jerked Bakura assumed he hadn't thought his mind-message had worked. Yami was twirling the Rod in his hand idly and chuckling, still looking towards where the Puzzle guardians were. Bakura opened the message to Ryoura also before saying, _"Yami told us himself if he could connect with Yugi he thought he could defeat his darker side, but that spectre locked him away."_

Ryoura narrowed his eyes and cursed mentally, surprising Bakura. Looking to the alter he asked, _"Is there a way we could break through it?"_

Bakura thought for a moment, then said, _"Possibly. If we could distract that spirit long enough, he may not be able to hold up the barrier if it's under attack."_ Bakura shook his head, _"But we're so low on magic now... it would have to be a close-range attack."_

_"Then why couldn't we do that?_ Steve asked, a ripple of excitement moving through the mind-link.

_"Because of Yami..."_ Ryoura answered for Bakura, _"The second we move from here he's going to attack us._ Bakura nodded in agreement and Steve's gaze dropped to the floor. Ryoura looked at the doorway thoughtfully. By the distance he was from it... he could probably...

_"Bakura?"_ he asked, looking up, _"I could get it."_

Bakura's eyes grew wide. _"What!"_

_"I'm the fastest of us, I could probably reach the good Yami if you and Steve could distract the bad Yami for me."_ Ryoura explained quickly.

_"I won't let you do that,"_ Bakura said sternly, shaking his head.

_"That's insane!"_ Steve yelled through mind. His fear was clear, he had not yet learned how to hide his emotions. _"You'll be killed!"_

_"I'm going to be killed anyway!"_ Ryoura yelled back through his mind link, silencing both his yami and Steve. _"He's blocked the exit, he's draned our magic; there's no way out! This is our only chance to beat him, and I'm not throwing it away! Either you help me, or I go it alone."_ Bakura narrowed his eyes at Ryoura, but the teen matched his yami's glare and held his gaze. As much as he hated to admit it, Bakura knew Ryoura was right. This was quite possibly the only way that any of them could survive. But the tomb-robber just couldn't get rid of worry welling inside him; what if Ryoura didn't make it? What if the spirit was reading their thoughts right now, and knew what they were planning? None of them would stand a chance if that was the case. For the ten thousand years of his extended existence Bakura had never worried about anyone like this, but he and Ryoura had been through so much together that Bakura saw Ryoura just as the hikari had always seen him; a brother.

He couldn't let anything happen to Ryoura. He swore he never would.

But no matter what promises he made, to himself or to Ryoura, this spirit had disrupted it all. He had captured, tortured and _killed_ Ryoura, and Bakura could do nothing to stop him. He had haunted his nightmares and trapped him in the Shadow Realm, all before Bakura even had a chance to do anything.

_Could_ he protect his hikari?

_"Bakura?"_ Ryoura frowned, his gaze softening. His yami had fallen oddly quite, and his gaze was not focussed anymore, as if he was lost in his thoughts. Sad thoughts. When his yami didn't respond, Ryoura took in a shaky breath and closed his eyes. The link with Steve was broken. _"Bakura... Please don't let me do this alone."_

Bakura blinked and looked down at Ryoura. What was wrong? Why was he shaking.

Keeping his eyes shut Ryoura leaned his shoulder against the pillar, still on one knee, listening intently as Yami's footsteps echoed of the floor as he through taunts in Yugi's direction. He was pacing. _"I can't do this without you. He'll kill me on sight."_ _"He's scared..."_ Bakura thought to himself, frowning. He felt slightly selfish now, thinking about himself when his hikari had clearly asked for his help. Ryoura wasn't putting himself in danger on purpose, he had weighed his options and picked the only one he could.

_"Bakura, please,"_ Ryoura opened his eyes and looked up at his yami, eyes full of determination, but also a spark of fear, _"I need you for this."_

Bakura nodded without a second thought. Reaching his hand down to Ryoura he pulled the teen to his feet, then turned to Steve. _"Will you help too, Kaiba?"_

Steve looked from Bakura to Ryoura in surprise, searching for some sign that they were joking. It was clear they weren't. Clenching his hands into fists and taking a deep breath, Steve nodded.

Bakura nodded, _"Alright, I'll go first. Head for the doorway as soon as his attentions on me. Steve, as soon as Ryoura passes you, attack."_ Nodding to each other, Ryoura turned to the glowing red box and Steve to Yami. Standing up, Ryoura readied himself to run. _"Will I have enough time?"_ he wondered, heart pounding now.

"_Yugi..._" Yami's voice called teasingly as he continued pacing. Playing with Yugi's mind like this was so much fun. "Come one, send out your little hikari first. I'll only cut him twice, I promise." he mocked, holding the blade of the Millennium Rod above his wrist. "Once on each wrist..."

Yujhi swallowed hard and looked at Yugi. The spirit was staring at the floor, the spark of hope in his eyes slowly suffocating in Yami's words. "Yugi, what do we do?" Yujhi whispered, his body shaking with fear along with his voice. This pillar offered no protection; four steps and a swipe was all that Yami needed to kill them both instantly. Yami knew that; that's why he was teasing them. The doorway was sealed, their magic depleted, and all Items but the Puzzle were in his possession. How were they supposed to defeat him?

"W-We'll think of something..." Yugi whispered, raising his gaze to meet Yujhi's. He couldn't let his hikari down, not after all this time, not after everything they'd been through.

Bakura, drained and exhausted, shut his eyes tight and pulled together all the magic he could muster - mostly his own, with some remnants of Millennium Magic - and the Millennium Sabre appeared in his hand, weak but still usable. A short gasp of pain escaped him, and Yami's footsteps stopped.

Bakura's eyes grew wide, _"Yugi! To the alter; now!"_

Yugi's heart skipped a beat, "Bakura?" He spun around to look out from beside the pillar, forgetting about Yami momentarily. The dark spirit blinked at his sudden appearance, but the racing footsteps behind him pulled his attention from Yugi. Bakura charged at Yami with the Millennium Sabre in his hands. "No!" What was he thinking!

Yami spun around as Bakura swung the sword down on Yami's head. He raised the Millennium Rod just in time, blocking Bakura's attack, but the Ring spirit quickly pulled his sword back and swung it sideways. Yami jumped back out of the way, the sword narrowly missing his abdomen. "Curse you tomb-robber, do you ever give up!" Yami yelled angrily.

"Yugi go! Don't stop!" Steve called as he jumped out from his hiding place also, charging at Yami. He didn't have a weapon, but his appearance was enough to surprise the spirit further. Yugi, dumbfounded, darted towards the alter without question. He had thought, or rather hoped, that Yujhi would follow, but he turned to help Bakura and Steve.

_"What's going on?"_ Yami thought, pivoting on one foot and sending a strong wave of magic towards both Steve and Bakura. They were struck back, but ran forward again. _"Why are they doing this?_

"Steve!" Ilia called when her boyfriend was struck by the magic, shocked when he charged at Yami yet again. Further on she spotted Ryoura darting towards the doorway, and Yugi was heading for the alter. Realisation hit her. And either it hit Joe too, or he was just eager for a fight, because he ran past her towards the brawl as well. _"I can't just stand here!"_ she yelled mentally at herself, then ran forward as well.

Attacked from all sides, Yami sent out another wave of magic, throwing them back again. _"What are you planning Yugi?"_ He thought, eyes darting around for his once-hikari. But Yugi was moving towards the alter, away from the fight. _"What will going to the alter do from him?"_

Nothing.

Unless Yami's other soul was there also. His eyes grew wide and he spun around, looking towards the door. Ryoura was nearing the box, a ball of green magic forming in his hand. "No!"

Yugi looked back as they ran; just a few more metres to the alter.

Ryoura threw the ball of magic forward. It struck the red box. Yami was not focussing on the barrier around the orb; it shattered.

Bakura swung the sword again but Yami threw up an incredible barrier, repelling the sword and sending it soaring from Bakura's hands into the air, where it disappeared almost instantly. Expanding quickly the wall slammed into his five unprepared attackers, throwing each one of them back so hard their backs struck the pillars. A large ball of golden Millennium Magic sparked in Yami's hand.

The ball of light was small now, smaller then a golf ball.

Yami threw his hand forward, sending the orb of magic crackling through the air.

Ryoura reached the few steps leading to the orb. No time. He jumped forward and reached towards the orb of light, a green glow around his hand.

"Ryoura look out!"

A second too late; Yami's attack struck Ryoura in the back, seemed to pause time for a moment, then exploded...

... Just as Ryoura's fingers closed around the orb.

Thrown by the force of the attack, Ryoura forced out what little magic he had and swung his arm across his body, throwing the orb behind him. He struck the hard stone door and cried out in pain, collapsing at the foot of the door.

Yami gasped as the orb sped overhead, glowing brilliantly bright, as if it was suddenly brought to life. Ryoura's magic had shot it through the air like a bullet, it was too fast for him to react.

Yugi reached the top of the alter and spun around, throwing his hand in the air, the orb striking the centre of his palm.

A bright light erupted the instant Yugi's fingers closed around the tiny ball that was emitting such a powerful illumination. Yugi's entire body was consumed in a bright white light, paling his skin, hair and clothes so they glowed brightly in the darkened room. The floor of the alter Yugi stood on began to glow too, and it quickly became difficult to separate Yugi's body from the alter, as they both shone with the same blinding glow.

A line of light shot up the large stone tablet behind Yugi. Like two doors the stone split apart and a blast of wind erupted out of the glowing world beyond, throwing the unsuspecting dark spirit back a few paces, though he held his ground. Yugi seemed unaffected by the gale though, his eyes shut lightly in a relaxing way, fist held above him, where he held the ball of light.

Golden streams of magic drifted out of the new doorway behind him and curled over his shoulders, slithering to the Millennium Puzzle and disappearing as they touched it's surface. Through the white light the shape of the Millennium Puzzle appeared in a golden outline, though it was still difficult to distinguish from the alter and Yugi.

A few seconds more and the glow began to dim quickly, leaving Yugi standing in the centre of the alter in the same stance he had held when taking hold of the glowing ball. The wind still blew heavily, but now the force began to circle his form, lined with a thin strip of golden magic that seemed to come from the ground Yugi stood on. Slowly, Yugi lowered his fists to his side, eyes still closed and head lowered, as the glow of the Millennium Puzzle grew brighter.

The spirit watched, wondering what forces Yugi and his lighter half had called forth from the doorway behind him to empower his Puzzle. When Yugi clenched his fists he knew he was about to find out.

The power surging through Yugi was so intense, he first crossed his arms and pressed his fists to his shoulders, as if trying to contain it, when in truth he was relishing the familiar feeling before it overcame him. Throwing his arms out beside him and tossing his head back, he screamed a word of power that caused him to once again become engulfed in light.

"Yu-Gi-Oh!"

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

Bwee! YU-GI-OH! The magical words that make us all go SQUEEEEE!  
Sighsighsigh SUPER SIGH! This chapter took at minimum (yes MINIMUM) 12 hours to write, so I hope, as crammed and confusion as it is, you enjoyed it! I know I said this was the last or second last, and trust me it was gonna be, but I always forget how much I need to cram into the chapters! The next may be just as long as this one if it's gonna by the last.  
If there's any mistakes, sorry! It's 12:30am and I'm tired. Hope you enjoy the extra long chappy, I sure enjoyed writing, as big of a pain as it was -sweatdrops- Please leave a review guys, coz I love 'em **XD**  
Slán slán for now!  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef 


	16. Reunited Warriors

Hey people! Lookie! A chapter! Oooo! Go read it! Sorry for the lame title, it's really late!  
**Note:** Do not say my sappiness with Yugi and Yami's souls is anything other than brotherly! They are pure soul mates, and brothers to the core! Platonic love! Oh Yes! PLATONIC!

**Warning:** For violence.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

"This is talking"  
_"These are thoughts and mind-messages"_

**Chapter Fifteen - Reunited Warriors **

The dark spirit clenched the Millennium Rod in his hand, fists shaking as he watched Yugi absorb the powers that travelled from the world behind him to the surface of the Millennium Puzzle. The glow was so harsh the spirit had to narrow his eyes to stop the pain the brightness caused. What was going on!

Then he heard it; that all too familiar word, a magical word used as both a name and a means of fusion between two specific souls.

"Yu-Gi-Oh!"

_"No!"_ the spirits eyes widened as his once lighter side was engulfed once again in a blinding glow. _That's_ what had been called forth! His lighter half had used the powers surrounding the alter and his connection with the items to tear open the gateway to the afterlife? Yami had brought his true soul back into the real world, the world of the living, and fused, for the first time in five thousand years, with Yugi.

No. He couldn't let Yugi go through with this; he had to stop him. Tightening his grip on the Millennium Rod he charged forward, raising the Item back, the point faced towards Yugi.

Yujhi stared towards Yugi, overcome by the waves of magic rippling from him. Where was all this power coming from? Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the darker spirit of Yami clenching the Rod and instantly knew what the spirit was planning. Leaping up he launched himself at the spirit just as he took off, slamming into his side and sending them both crashing to the floor.

Yami cursed loudly and quickly pushed himself upward, glaring down into Yujhi's fear-filled blue eyes. For a moment Yujhi thought he was going to use the blade of the Rod on him, but the spirit was too worried as to what Yugi was planning. Swinging the Item towards Yujhi he struck the boy across the head with the Rod, stumbling quickly to his feet and making his way towards Yugi once again.

But the person he now saw on the alter was not Yugi.

Ryoura groaned and opened his eyes weakly, blinking blearily. He couldn't make out anything with his sight, it was so blurry. But he could still sense magic, and the new presence in the room radiated great power. Steve was in no better condition, having had his magic drained and then being thrown against one of the large stone pillars, but he too could sense the magic. Bakura, Ilia and even Joe, who were all pushing themselves off the floor, could feel the powers also, no matter how much or a little they were connected to magic.

The spirit stopped a few metres from the foot of the alter and looked up at his opponent.

Standing on the alter was an identical version of the darker spirit in front of him, his eyes closed and head lowered as the wind died from around him. The Millennium Puzzle around his neck faded, but still had a faint golden glow over it's surface. "My dark..." the spirit said in a deep voice, violet eyes opening slowly and head raising to meet his the glare of the being before him, "You tortures end here and now..."

Yami Yugi raised his arm above his head and gripped what seemed to be an invisible handle. As if tearing through fabric he pulled a silver khepesh sword out of the air and swung it before him, the very same khepesh sword Yami's soul had formed in Yugi's hands, with hieroglyphs carved across the blade's surface reading 'Atemu'. The blade was surrounded in a white light, not blinding, but it rid the entire area surrounding the spirit of any shadows or darkness.

The dark spirit smirked slightly, "I don't know why I was worried... You think you scare me? You and your hikari, combined?" he spat on the ground, "You're no threat to me. _I_ have the power of **six** Millennium Items on my side... and what have you?" he laughed loudly and threw his arm forward to gesture to Yami Yugi, who stood silently with his blade held horizontally before him, "Our weakened light and a sword? Granted, the Puzzle may cause a scratch or two," he reached behind himself and rid the Millennium Scales of the magical rope the tied it to his waist, pulling it before him, "but I have more then enough power to destroy both you and your puny hikari!"

Yami Yugi's eyes narrowed, but he made no response. Instead, he studied each Millennium Item the spirit withdrew of materialised before him; the Scales, the Necklace, the Eye, the Ring, the Rod and the Key, all adorned around the neck of a corrupt and vicious enemy. But Yami was more than confident that he, Yugi and the Millennium Puzzle could defeat him.

_"Yami?"_

The former-Pharaoh found himself slipping into the spiritual dimension without hesitation. Why should he worry, when time worked differently here? He could feel his soul warming as it slipped through dimensions like water, opening his eyes the instant he'd fully materialised. Just as he had done all those millennia ago while fused with Yugi, he stood behind his host body as a spirit.

And too his left stood his hikari.

Yugi was looking up at his slightly taller darker half, frozen. When he'd first sensed Yami, he had been a transcendent being coming to his aid. When last he'd seen his yami's soul, he had been a being so weakened he was devoid of all colour save shades of grey. When he'd last seen his physical yami, he'd been a spirit of darkness and anger. But it was right now, for the first time in millennia, that Yugi truly saw him.

_"How could I ever think that spirit was Yami?"_ Yugi thought, the link between his soul and the one beside him invisible, yet blinding with it's strength, _"The bond between us... How could I mistake any other for it? It's been so long... Had I forgotten?"_ "Yugi?" Yami took a step towards his hikari when Yugi let his head drop, golden bangs covering his eyes. Frowning he reached forward and let his hand hover above Yugi's shoulder, but didn't touch him. "Are you alright?"

"Ya," Yugi's replied in a shaky voice, raising his head to look into Yami's eyes. His own were filled with tears, but he wouldn't let them fall, and a smile was spread across his face. "It's just... You're really here. You're not just a piece of your soul, or a memory or a figment of my imagination... It's _really_ you!"

Yami smiled and placed his hand on Yugi's shoulder, shaking it slightly, "I'm sorry I took so long," he said lightly.

"You should be," Yugi nodded, still smiling.

"But at least now we're finally together again," Yugi squeezed Yugi's shoulder lightly, looking forward. When they were in the spiritual dimension, the physical word they were supposed to be a part of was darkened, almost invisible. But through that darkness Yami could see a reflection of himself, eyes burning with hatred, but moving so slowly in comparison with the dimension Yugi and Yami were in he seemed to be frozen in time. "And as long as are souls remain together, as one, we will defeat my darker side."

The smile instantly disappeared from Yugi's face and his eyes shot to the darker spirit barely visible in the other realm. Rubbing the back over his eyes to make sure his tears were unshed, he looked to his Yami with a new flare of determination. "Let's do it!"

"Right!"

The twin spirits both slid through the spiritually dimension and back into their body. Two souls drifted in, two right hands took control of it's physical form, grip tightening slightly on the hilt of the blade as if to make sure it was still there. Two souls combined, sharing a mind, sharing thoughts.

Just as destiny had always intended, the Pharaoh and his light were whole again.

Time seemed much faster now compared to the spiritual dimension, and the spirit was quick to draw the remaining items. Yami Yugi stole a glance towards the other members of the group and frowned.

Joe had his back pressed hard against the wall and used it to help lift himself off the floor. His legs were shaking, but he didn't let himself fall. Bakura pushed himself to his feet with more effort without any support, but found himself unable to stand straight. His body was still in shock from the spirits attack. Ilia had pulled herself over to Steve, who was still sitting with his back against one of the pillars, his eyes closed and head down. She whispered his name worriedly, touching his arm. He was very pale. A few feet away from the dark spirit of Yami lay Yujhi, motionless.

_"Yami we have to save them!"_ Yugi's voice sounded panicked. Of coarse it would; these were his friends.

_"We will Yugi, we will,"_ Yami reassured his hikari, then thought to himself, _"Because I would sooner face Soul Destruction then let this monstrosity of myself wander free in this world..."_

The dark sprit clenched both the Scales and the Eye in one hand, the Millennium Rod in the other, with the Key and Millennium Ring materialising around his neck. The necklace hung from around his wrist, but as laden as he was with item's the spirit stood tall as if they weren't there. Yami Yugi changed his stance, ready to pounce. "What makes you think you stand a chance against me?" the spirit finally asked.

"Because you more then anyone should know the Millennium Items rely heavily on the soul," Yami Yugi sliced the sword through the air and held it up beside his head, eyes narrowing, "And with two souls against a simple fragment, I believe the odds are evening up."

Everyone had expected some sort of snide remark from the spirit, but he didn't have the chance. Yami Yugi leapt off the alter, Puzzle and sword glowing, and brought the blade down towards the spirits head. The spirit threw up a barrier, but the strength of the magic in the sword shattered it. Shocked, the spirit jumped out of the blade's path, the tip of the blade slicing through the material of his retreating shoe. A narrow miss.

_"His magic is stronger then I thought; I'll need more then one item to block his attacks,"_ the spirit thought, but Yami Yugi was on him before he had a chance to counter. The spirit leapt left and right, but every time he prepared to make a move Yami Yugi was one step ahead, charging with a brand new attack before the spirit had a chance to finish dodging the last. He should have known this would happen; he'd said so himself he had great swordsmanship skills.

_"I just need an opening!"_ the spirit though as he dodged another attack aiming for his face. He had to think quickly.

"Ry...oura... " Bakura hissed through gritted teeth, dropping to his knees in front of his hikari. He shut his eyes tight with the pain that flared through his knees, but forced them open again. "Ryoura..." he said again, reaching his hand out and placing it on his lights shoulder. Ryoura seemed awake, but his eyes were dazed and unfocussed. "Wake... up..." he forced out, his voice strained.

"Bakura..." Ryoura whispered hoarsely, coughing lightly. Bakura never thought he could feel so relieved at the sound of a voice! "Are... the others...?"

Bakura looked back at the fight that was taking place by the alter, but even that small movement caused him to flare with pain. "Stu-pid Pharaoh." he muttered, but pushed his pain aside to study the group; Ilia seemed to be getting a little response from Steve, and Joe was up, but struggling to stay standing against the wall. Yujhi was still out cold. "Alive..." he muttered, turning to face Ryoura again so as not to strain his neck. _"But for how much longer...?"_ he added silently to himself.

The scraping sound of Yami's sword skimming the rock floor met Bakura's ears and he growled. Without his Ring he was useless. Ryoura and the others were too weak to move and Yujhi was unconscious. _The Pharaoh and his light are alone in this battle..."_

Yami Yugi arched his sword towards his dark, but the spirit, once again, dodged the attack by jumping sideways, rolling slightly, then jumping back up onto his feet. Yami Yugi didn't wait, but charged once the first attack allowed him too. _"This constant attacking may be preventing him from attacking, but I don't know how much longer I can keep this up,"_ he thought to himself as the spirit dodged his second attack, _"And I don't have any other method. Come on, think!"_

The spirit brought the Millennium Rod in front of him as the blade came down, the blade getting caught in the decorative wings at the top. He used that momentary pause to launch a ball of magic at Yami Yugi, striking him hard in the stomach and throwing him back.

Digging his heels into the floor Yami Yugi skidded back, straining even muscle in his body to prevent himself being thrown too far back. He grunted and pressed a hand to his stomach for a moment, but didn't dare pause any longer. He ran forward...

..but the spirit sped towards him like lightning, quickened by the Item's he held, and swung his fist into the stomach of his fused enemy. Yami Yugi was lifted off the floor with the force of the attack, draped over the arm of his enemy, before the velocity threw him back. He crashed flat on the floor but quickly curled over, clutching his stomach and coughing heavily. He hand managed to hold onto his sword, and when the spirit leapt towards him wielding the Rod as a sword Yami Yugi rolled onto his back and just managed to blocked the attack.

The spirit smirked as he pressed harder on Yami Yugi's sword, using most of his body weight and the Millennium Scales to push the blade further down towards the other Puzzle-spirit's face. Yami Yugi, at such an angle, was struggling to hold him off. He had to press the flat part of the blade to his palm to hold it up, while also having to grip it to prevent it slipping position. The spirit glance at Yami Yugi's hand the held the blade, blood oozing from the small cuts the blade made in his fingers, deepening with every strained shudder of the sword. He was still gasping from the blow to the stomach, so his strength was slacked. The blade pushed closer and closer until it was mere inches from his face. "Not so confident now, are you?" the spirit whispered in a slightly strained voice, trying to push the blade further down.

In unison Yami Yugi's khepesh and Puzzle burst with light, along with every item the spirit possessed. A test of physical strength had quickly become a test of magic, both infusing their weapons with as much magical energy as they could muster.

The spirit was shocked when Yami Yugi began to push back, forcing the Millennium Rod away from his face, _"With two souls, and the Millennium Puzzle..."_ the spirit thought, suddenly angered, _"No! He shouldn't be able to overpower me, I have six items! I'm far stronger!"_ But despite his thoughts, inch my inch, Yami Yugi was forcing the spirit off him. He pressed harder down on the blade, summoned more of his magic, but it did nothing to push the spirit back, only stop him from pushing any further, and by then there was an arms length distance between them. _"I won't let them win! I'll..."_ he paused for a moment, then it came to him, _"Soul Destruction..._

_"Yami something's wrong!"_ Yugi's voice echoed in his own mind, but in his Yami's as well, _"His magic's weakened, he's planning something!"_

_"I know Yugi, but we're trapped. We can't move,"_ Yami's voice echoed back, violet eyes that were shut with effort forced themselves open to gaze into his enemy's. They were red, shimmering slightly as his lips moved wordlessly. Yami recognised the spell; he had been encased in it only minutes ago. _"Soul Destruction!"_

_"What?"_ Yugi's voice called, but a sudden wave of electricity overcame Yami's response. Red flashed before his eyes and for a moment what felt like hot metal wires constricted around his heart. Yugi screamed and pulled away from the force immediately.

_"YUGI!"_ Yami's terror was so evident in his voice it brought back to life the flame of fear in Yugi's heart. He'd separated from Yami!

A wave of cold overcame him as he instinctively slipped into the spiritual realm to avoid the pain. What was he doing! Yami had told him they had to stay as one!

The body Yugi and Yami shared froze, the agony of a soul's torture unrecognisable to it, causing it to go into a state of shock. The body's mouth didn't make a sound, but that meant nothing to Yugi. He could still hear Yami screaming in bloodcurdling agony.

Yugi had torn himself from the physical dimension when Soul Destruction had skimmed his soul, only feeling a slight jolt. The attack full torture was focussed on Yami.

"I won't let you win!" the dark spirit yelled furiously.

_"Yami!"_ Yugi flinched as Yami's screaming got louder.

The spirit pressed the blade harder down, Yami Yugi's arms weakened now, "You're mine!"

_"No!"_ Yugi forced himself back into his body, pushing Yami's shredding soul away and taking control of the body's movements, his soul sharing with but not fused with Yami's. His eyes came into focus and locked with crimson orbs of blood-lust, and for a second everything in his world froze.

For a moment, he didn't see the spirit that was attacking him. He saw an image of Yami, his friend, his brother of many years. But crimson eyes burned through that image, as did a face so consorted with hate and anger Yugi felt a pang of fear. But mixed with that hate was something else; darkness. Powerful darkness that could not exist in any human.

Especially not Yami.

He had only a second to think. There was only one way out of this. But he and Yami may not make it.

_"Do it Yugi..."_ Yami's strained voice echoed in his mind, just before another jolt of electricity gripped his soul.

Narrowing his eyes as the world seemed to jump to life, Yami's screams echoing in his ears, Yugi did something reckless. Griping the blade tight with both hands, deepening cuts in his left hand, he pulled the blade above his head. It no longer blocked the blade of the Rod. In the second that the pull of gravity caused both the spirit and his Item to fall downward, Yugi pulled the blade back down before him and thrust his arms upwards.

Yami's screaming silenced.

A fire pain erupted in Yami Yugi's stomach as the blade of the Millennium Rod sliced through his flesh, causing blood to instantly soak the hands of Yami's dark.

But the blade of Yugi's khepesh sword did better; angled perfectly, it had sliced clean through the spirits exposed neck.

Both Yami Yugi and the spirit gasped as each attack struck, eye's widening and breath catching in their lungs, as if both feared it was their last. Yami Yugi's arms shook as they struggled to hold his sword in place, his mind to all but the pulsing pain in his stomach, yet his instinct ordering him to do so. He could feel his own warm blood flowing out of him, over the hands of his enemy, over his skin, drenching his clothes. But save for his arms, he didn't move, and neither did the spirit. He seemed to have frozen in place, the blade in his neck the only thing preventing his blood gushing out instead of in small trickles, tiny rivers of blood flowing like tree-branches across the khepesh blade and down Yugi's arms. Neither spirit moved, they just gripped their weapons tightly, staring into each other's terrified eyes, counting every heartbeat that seemed to be slowing with every beat.

Which one of them had lost?

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

Oooooo! I. Am. EVIL!  
But this was definitely one of the most fun (and evil!) chappys I've written in a long time! I had No. CLUE what I was writing, and it's never been more fun! Man, you should have seen how many things I edited out; about a third of the chapter worth! And the stuff a re-wrote -phew- I'm beat! And I'm supposed to be in bed! Don't dis grammar, I'm tired! Gonna post this quick and respond to reviews tomorrow!  
Review please! Reviews equal Motivation, yupyup -nodnod-  
Slán slán peeps!  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef 


	17. Sacrifice

Hey guys! So sorry for the long wait, but this chapter was really difficult to write. Lots of little writer's blocks, _le GRR_! But it's all done now, so yaz can read on **XD** Hope yaz enjoy!

Thanks so much for the reviews everyone! They mean a ton to me, especially for this story coz it's been going to over **TWO YEARS!** _Le WOW_!

**Warning**: Character death.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

"This is talking"  
_"These are thoughts and mind-messages"_

**Chapter Sixteen - Sacrifice **

Darkness, then a pounding pain in his skull. Yujhi groaned loudly as his eyes fluttered open, his hand travelling to the pounding spot on the side of his head, pressing against it. His vision was blurred, fuzzy shapes before him shrinking in and out of view. But his hearing was clear, and with it Ilia's scream registered in his mind before anything else.

Blinking hard he pulled his hand away from his head and pressed it on the floor, forcing himself into a sitting position. The pain in his head blanked his vision for a moment, but he blinked a few times and caught himself before he fell again, leaning heavily on his arm. Raising his gaze, a number of figures cleared before his eyes.

Bakura was knelt by Ryoura near the entrance to the room, the younger Ring-guardian having forced himself up onto his elbow. Joe was leaning against a pillar nearby, hands pressed against the smooth stone surface to stay standing, and Steve was leaning against a pillar further away, Ilia sitting beside him with her hands over her mouth. Every one of them were deathly silent.

And every one of them where staring beyond Yujhi.

Yujhi's heart began to race; what was wrong with them? Why were they all so pale? Something, like a hand of ice, gripped his heart. _"Yugi."_ He twisted his body around painfully and winced, but forced his eyes open. The breath he held left him the moment his eyes landed on crimson liquid.

His yami lay no more then ten metres away at the foot of the alter, hands gripping both the handle and the blade of his own sword, the blade of which had embedded itself half-way through the throat of their enemy; an almost identical spirit. Blood dripped from the dark spirits throat, slithering along the blade of the sword and down the arms of Yujhi's yami, mixing with his own blood that trickled from the cut in his hand from gripping the blade.

But more blood was pouring from the wound in Yugi's stomach, creating a large pool of crimson life-liquid around his body.

The golden head of the Millennium Rod rested lower on Yugi's stomach, but the blade had completely disappeared into his body, drowned in the blood of the body it had impaled.

Yujhi's breathing became sharper and faster as the image before him didn't disappear. He shook his head, blinked hard, but it didn't disappear; Yami Yugi and the spirit stared at each other with wide eyes, not breathing, not moving. "Yugi." Yujhi shuffled slightly, making a move towards his other half.

Then all at once, both Yami Yugi and the dark spirit sighed, eyes drifting closed slowly. As soon as Yami Yugi's violet orbs were hidden behind his eyelids, his arms collapsed, and the dark spirit collapsed on top of him.

Unmoving.

"Yugi no!"

* * *

Drifting into the spiritual dimension had always been the greatest sensation Yugi had ever felt. A feeling of comfortable warmth would spread over his soul, warming him in ways that no physical thing could. Every time he slipped though the water-like fabric between physical and the spiritual dimension of the same world, he felt safe. Nothing of the physical world could hurt him here, even though he could see and hear it.

Yugi sighed heavily as the wave heat washed over his soul, warming what the fear of death had chilled in the physical world. Another being appeared beside him, and without opening his eyes he knew it was Yami. He did open them, though, when he heard Yami's gasp of pain. Pain? In the spiritual realm.

Looking to his Yami Yugi was shocked to see his other's face twisted in pain. "Yami?" he whispered, drifting over and placing a hand on the spirit's shoulder.

"I'm alright," Yami insisted, waving a hand dismissively, making Yugi jump; his hand seemed to be made of smoke, losing shape and breaking apart in the air when it moved, only to drift back and form a wavering form of his hand when he stopped moving. "I'm just... recovering..."

"Soul Destruction," Yugi said, more a statement than a question, but Yami nodded all the same. Of coarse, his soul would be damaged because of the two attacks his darker side had used on him. Luckily, there was no better place to heal a soul than in this dimension.

"What have you _done_..."

Yugi jumped as the snake-like voice hissed through the air, but turned calmly to face it's owner. The darker spirit was floating a short distance away, mere feet within striking distance or both Yugi and Yami. But he didn't make a move to attack; he just remained still in the air, staring at the pulsing black palms of his hands and flexing his fiery fingers slowly. "I believe," said Yugi, calmly, "that we have beaten you."

"_No_!" the dark spirit hissed, his eyes jerking up to meet Yugi's. In this realm, the spirit no longer took on the form of Yugi's yami. It had returned to the fiery black being that had appeared over three months ago intent on claiming the lives and souls of Yugi's friends, eyes now nothing but two large slits in what would be considered a face. Veins of green ran through his form now, though; the life-force holding him together that he had stolen from Ryoura. "You cannot defeat me!"

"We already have, darkness!" Yami's powerful voice returned as he straightened himself up, no longer showing signs of weakness from his dark sides Soul Destruction spell. "This physical body that you relied on to exist is dead, your connection with the Millennium Puzzle was severed the moment you separated from Yugi, what hope could you possible have to defeating us now?"

The spirit hissed loudly, in a voice that seemed to echo around the two Puzzle-spirits. Yugi drifted closer to Yami as the dark sprits eyes narrowed, "I won't let you leave here..." he hissed angrily, crouching back before leaping off an invisible floor, darting for Yugi and Yami, "Your souls will remain here with me!"

Yugi leapt back when the spirit pounced, but Yami merely closed his eyes. The dark spirit threw out it's claw-like hands and latched around the shoulders of his true soul.

"Yami!" Yugi called in shock as the spirits claws dug into Yami's soul.

But Yami merely winced as if he had stung him, barely twitching as the dark spirits claws sank deeper into his soul. Opening his eyes he stared into the red slits of his darker half. "It is time you returned to me..."

"Never!" the spirit hissed, obviously furious that Yami stood so defiant. He pulled back, intent on using his 'claws' to tear out his true spirits confident eyes...

... but found he could not more. Eyes widening, he jerked himself away from Yami again, but his claws remained embedded in his true soul. "No!" he yelled, trying again and again to tear himself from Yami's soul, but not succeeding.

Yami winced painfully as the spirit jerked away from him again, "Yugi... help me..." he whispered, extending his hand back. Without a word Yugi drifted forward and placed his hand on his other's wrist, then, drifting forward, reached his other hand out towards the dark spirit. At the sight of Yugi and spirit began to try harder to pull away, but still couldn't. Yugi pressed his fingers against the spirits arm, cringing as it screamed in fury as Yugi's fingers slipped through it's skin, just as it's own claws had slipped into Yami. It kicked and thrashed, screaming and cursing loudly and angrily, but Yugi did not pull away. Instead, he closed his eyes as Yami did.

"Though a darkness beyond that of my heart..." Yami whispered quietly, raising a hand and digging it into the other arm of the spirit, gaining another scream of anger from him, "I accept you back as part of my soul."

"No!" The spirits cries fell on deaf ears, a blinding golden glow erupting between the three spirits. The spiritual bonds that tied Yami and Yugi undid themselves, throwing themselves open and slithering through the air like snakes. The dark spirit cried out as they wrapped themselves slowly around his form, pulling him and the two spirits closer and closer to each other.

"Y-Yami," Yugi whispered fearfully, unsure of what was happening.

"Do not worry Yugi..." Yami whispered, but before he could say anymore it was time; time to entangle this estranged fragment of a soul back into the bond that it was released from long ago.

"Yu..." Yugi breathed slightly, but quickly held his breath. What was he doing?. "Yu-" he stopped himself again. Something inside him was encouraging to cast his spell. Opening his eyes slightly he glanced at Yami. The older spirit seemed to sense his gaze, and nodded. Combining their spirits; it was the only way. Taking a deep breath, with confidence this time, Yugi cried out, "Yu-Gi-Oh!"

The dark spirit cried out at once, but it echoed into nothingness as his spirit was pulled into his true soul. Yami gasped in shock at the sudden intrusion of darkness, but no sooner had it entered his body did the evil become purified, moulded into a true reflection of the Pharaoh's soul.

As Yugi and Yami's souls combined once again they drifted back into their physical body, a cold feeling overcoming them as they did so.

_"Yami?"_

_"Yes Yugi?"_

Yugi was relieved to sense no change in his other half's spirit through their mental link, but fear had suddenly returned to him, _"Are we going to die?"_

Silence. Then, _"If they body dies, we shall too."_

That chill. A fear only death could bring.

* * *

"Yugi! Yugi!" Yujhi yelled, shaking his yami's shoulders hard. He had pushed the other spirit off Yugi's body, but almost wished he hadn't when he was met with a motionless form. "Don't do this to me Yugi," he whispered, his vision blurring behind salty tears, "Please don't die!"

"Yujhi?" Ilia whispered as she lowered herself down to kneel next to him, having been the only member of the group with enough strength to move to his side. Swallowing the lump gathering in her throat Ilia tried to avoid looking at the wound in Yugi's stomach, as well as the blood she had to kneel in, forcing her attention instead on the near-hysterical teen next to her, "Yujhi," she said again, "he's-"

"Don't," Yujhi interrupted angrily, turning to glare at Ilia with fire in his eyes, "you _dare_ tell me he's not going to make it. Don't you dare! He's still breathing!" he yelled, pointing at Yami Yugi's slowing rising chest; so slowly it was as if a heavy weight was resting on it. "He's still alive!"

"Yujhi, we don't know how long that will be for," Ilia tried to reason, struggling in vain to prevent tears from running down her face. The violence, the blood, the sight of Yujhi so torn; it was all to much for her. She forced her gaze to lower to the head of the Rod, the blade still deep in Yugi's stomach, but quickly looked away, covering her mouth. "So much blood..."

"B-but he's still alive!" Yujhi argued, turning away from Ilia and gripping Yugi's shoulders once again, shaking him lightly, "Come on Yugi, wake up.. Please Yugi..." he gripped the material of Yugi's shirt and lowered his head, tears streaming down his face, "Please Yugi! Please don't leave me!"

"Bakura we have to do something," Ryoura choked, rubbing the back of his hand over his eyes before tears had the chance to fall, "Isn't there something we can do?"

"If we could get our magic back from that spirit," Bakura said in a strained voice, placing a hand on Ryoura's shoulder and pushing himself to his feet, only to collapse again on his knees. Cursing loudly at the floor he sighed angrily, raising his gaze to look at the body of the dark spirit beyond Yugi. "If Yugi's to have any chance he needs to be healed."

"How could we get out magic back?" Ryoura asked, pulling himself up to his hands and knees. He stopped when his head began to spin, shutting his eyes tight.

"Break through his magic barrier, maybe with the Sabre...?" Bakura tried once again to get up, but his vision instantly darkened and he had to freeze, _"Damn it! Have I any strength left?"_ No. He had used all the magic he had in his last attack on the dark spirit. He needed time to recover. Time that Yugi didn't have.

Suddenly there was a shift in the air as Yugi and Yami's combined soul slipped back into the realm and returned to it's body, alerting the senses of the most active magic-users. Yujhi's gaze snapped to his yami's face, and he felt a stab of pain when Yugi's face constricted in pain.

"Yugi? ... Yugi can you hear me?" Yujhi whispered, and was shocked when Yugi began coughing heavily, his clothes, and Yujhi's, becoming even more stained with the blood that had begun to gather at the back of his throat.

Panicking Yujhi slipped his arm behind Yugi's shoulders and lifted him slightly off the ground, causing his yami to gasp at the new flare of pain that the movement caused in his stomach. "Yugi? Yugi!" the hikari shouted, trying desperately to get a response from his darker half. Yugi muttered something in a low whisper, but in his weakened state it came out as nothing more then a slurred hiss. His eyes fluttered open momentarily, but quickly closed again. "You can't fall asleep!" Yujhi muttered, tapping the side of Yugi's face lightly. The spirit's eyes opened slightly, staring blankly forward, "You can't fall asleep, you-" Yugi sighed painfully and his eyes slide shut, "Yugi? Yugi! Wake up! Wake up Yugi, come on!"

But Yugi just lay motionless in his arms, breathing slower and shallower with each intake, drawing closer to his last.

* * *

_"Yugi... I'm so sorry..."_ Yami's voice echoed in his hikari's mind, full of sincerity.

Yugi's body had been so aflame with pain that he had lost consciousness despite his efforts to stay awake. His soul, now bound to his dying body, was quickly weakening with ever drop of blood he lost. Though he knew once the end came he would be a soul of new energy, with nothing of the physical to hurt or hinder him, the feeling of the last of his physical life-force separating was the most terrifying sensation he had ever felt. _"I'm scared Yami."_

There was silence from the other side of the link, and for a moment Yugi was worried that Yami had left him, or his soul had somehow died first, but after a few seconds their link reopened, and Yugi was met with a string of mixed emotions. _"We can't let it end this way."_

_"What?"_ there was no containing neither the shock nor the confusion in Yugi's voice, _"But... what do you mean?"_

_"I'm sorry, but our task is not let fulfilled..."_ Yami's voice sounded a little strained with that message, _"As much as I want your pain to end, I _need you stay in this world just a little longer."

_"Longer?"_ as fearful he had been of death, Yugi was shocked to find a little resentment towards Yami's words; how long would he be left trapped in this world? _"But Yami, I-"_

_"I'm sorry Yugi, but as the Guardian of the Millennium Puzzle and successor to the Pharaoh's powers, you have one more task to fulfil."_

_"... The Millennium Items..."_

He could almost sense Yami's nod as he began to understand, _"And you cannot leave Yujhi, not like this, he would never recover..."_ that last comment seemed to strike something inside the younger spirit. In the past few minutes of action his hikari had slipped from his mind. There was a sudden powerful pull in Yugi's mind, and fear gripped his heart. Yami's soul had separated from his own!

_"Yami!"_

_"Trust me Yugi!"_

* * *

"Yujhi, please stop!" Ilia yelled tearfully, gripping the shorter boy's arm tightly. Once Yugi had stopped making any response to Yujhi's words, the teen had begun yelling and shaking his yami, trying to get him to wake up. "He's _not_ going to wake up Yujhi!"

"Shut up!" Yujhi yelled, pulling his arm out of the girls grip, "You don't know-!"

"Leave him alone Yujhi!" the two by Yugi's side turned to look at Steve, who was struggling to push himself to his feet. "You're just making things worse!"

Yujhi blinked, then looked down at Yugi's deathly pale face, "But he-"

"Steve's right Yujhi..." Joe muttered, leaning his back against the pillar he was using for support, "You... You're just making this harder on all of us..."

Ryoura looked from Joe to Steve, shocked. "But we can't give up on him. There's got to be some chance that-"

Bakura lifted his hand and dropped it on his hikari's head weakly, silencing the teen, "Not without our magic, Ryoura... All of which is trapped in that Yami's body..."

"You..." Yujhi breathed, turning his attention back to Yugi. His once calm face now looked strained; maybe he was struggling to wake up? Yujhi felt fresh tears filling his eyes. "We can't... he's not-"

"Yujhi-!"

Ilia's cry had been cut off as she was shoved aside by the darker spirit, who had somehow managed to pull himself to his feet. He had pulled Yugi's khepesh blade from his throat, and now pressed his right hand to the wound to try and slow the blood gushing out. He struggled to breath, coughing up blood with every gasp of breath, and his face was deathly pale, eyes wide and full of pain. Yujhi didn't have time to react before a barrier of magic surrounded the dark spirit, then rapidly grew, striking both Yujhi and Ilia away from Yugi's body. Raising one shaky arm the spirit blinked blearily down at Yugi's form, then narrowed his eyes. Dropping to his knees, his fingers dug deep into the open wound in Yugi's stomach.

The younger spirit instantly cried out, torn from unconsciousness by the blinding pain. Yujhi pushed himself up and shook his head, pushing himself quickly to his feet. "Yugi!" he charged towards the two spirits, but struck something hard. A ripple of yellow light ran in a circle around the spirits; a barrier. Raising his fists Yujhi pound hard on the barrier, ignoring both the blinding ripples of light that appeared with every strike, and Ilia and Joe, who had both managed to make it to his side. "Yugi! Let him alone!"

"How..." Bakura breathed in shock, eyes locked on the dark spirit. He was so close to death, this attack must be antagonising. Was he that determined to see Yugi dead? Ryoura had managed to push himself to his feet, but the burst of adrenaline wasn't enough. He stumbled and gripped Bakura's shoulders to stay standing. "There's nothing we can do Ryoura..." Bakura muttered, "He's won..."

But inside the barrier, hidden from view by the continuous waves of light that ran over it's surface, Yugi was struggling to hear the mental voice of the spirit whose magic was quickly drifting into him, alighting his body was fresher and stronger pain. He could only catch a few words from the link, distracted by the waves of fire through his body.

_"..will hurt ... return... lunar energy... highest..." _

"Ya..mi..." Yugi muttered painfully, crying out as the hand was pulled out of his injury, finished healing the damage within his body and now focussing on the external damage. This was a much less painful process, and even though his was still shaking with the pain left by his internal healing, he managed to open his eyes and look into those of the spirit about him. The body created by Yami's dark, but now inhabited by his true soul. A dying body. "Why...?"

Yami's eyes softened for a moment at Yugi's question, then widened again as another coughing fit struck him. Yugi shut his eyes and turned his head away as some of the splatters of blood hit the side of his face. Yami hand, which had been hovering over Yugi's wound to heal it, pressed down on Yugi's injury as the spirit struggled to stay upright, making Yugi cringe. He quickly moved his hand away, but without that little support he collapsed on his side next to Yugi, barely breathing, coughing blood up heavily when he did. Yugi groaned loudly and lifted a hand to lay on his stomach. The cut was still open, but mostly healed. "Why...?" he whispered again, "Why did... you do this.. to yourself?"

_"It was the only way,"_ Yami's mental voice sounded so calm, as if it was completely unaware of the flaring physical pain his body was in.

Tears sprung to Yugi's eyes, _"To kill yourself! To let yourself die!"_

_"Yugi,"_ Yami's voice was stern, silencing Yugi, _"There was no other way. You need to be healed, and this body was the only one with enough strength and magic to do so."_

Yugi shut his eyes tight, the warm slither of tears running down his face. He desperately wanted to look at his Yami, but was afraid of what he would see. _"You sacrificed your own life..."_

_"Just as you did for me all those years ago."_ "Yami," Yugi choked, pushing himself up into a sitting position, surprised that his pain had dulled greatly, though was still strong. Yami forced his eyes open and looked sideways. A small smile appeared on his face, forced but genuine. Yugi shut his eyes tight to rid himself of tears, then reached down and wrapped his arms around his dark, pulling him up so his head rested on Yugi's arm and his body lay across the younger spirits lap. Yami's eyes drifted closed weakly, and Yugi shook his head, "I don't want to lose you again..."

_"You have one last task to fulfil Yugi..._ Yami's voice sounded slurred and tired. It was nearly time. _"When you return in two weeks... you'll see me again."_

"How?"

_"My spirit will return to end what Akunadin began all those years ago... We will destroy the Millennium Items together..."_

"In two weeks."

_"Yes._

Yugi remembered a mention of lunar energy. "At the next full moon?"

_"Yes..."_

The message had come as a sigh; he was drifting away. _"Yami I..."_ Yugi shuddered at the weakness of the link. He didn't know what to say. _"... Goodbye..."_

A sigh of relief echoed through their mind-link, and Yugi could almost sense the smile on his other's face that accompanied his next words;

_"For now, my brother... for now..."_

* * *

Yujhi struck the barrier, but this time was shocked to find it shattered easily, breaking into what looked like thousands of shards of glass. He instinctively threw his arms to up protect himself, but the shards turned to dust before disappearing completely. Just as he began to move his arms away from his face, a sudden force struck him hard in the chest, throwing him clean off his feet and through the air. He crashed to the floor and struck his head on the stone floor, instantly throwing his hands up to put pressure on the area of pain.

Ilia and Steve had barely had a chance to notice Yujhi had been struck back before they, too, were hit with powerful beams of light, thrown back also, but being taller they had managed to remain standing, merely stumbling back a few steps. Steve blinked in shocked and dropped to his knees, pressing his hand against his chest. "This... this energy..."

Bakura had been prepared for the attack, bracing himself as another beam of light shot from the area once alight with the magical barrier. It struck him hard, but he merely winced and was pushed back a little. Ryoura had not been nearly as prepared, and was thrown back with the force of the attack, losing his footing and falling backwards.

Clenching and unclenching his fist Bakura grinned, then opening his hand he allowed a fiery green ball of light to appear in his palm. "Our powers are back..." he muttered in satisfaction, clenching his hand and extinguishing the flame.

"Major magic-rush..." Ryoura muttered as he sat up, rubbing his head. The wave of magic rushing through his body almost made his tired mind dizzy, but he quickly shook it away. "Where's Yugi?"

Yujhi forced himself to sit up and look in the direction of his yami. Yugi sat silently in the centre of where the barrier had once been, his back turned to the group and his head down. Getting slowly to his feet Yujhi took a step forward.

"Yujhi..." Ilia hissed warningly, "We don't know if that's really Yugi."

But Yujhi ignored her, taking a few slow steps forward, then quickening his pace. "Yugi?" he said as he came within a few feet of his yami. Yugi made no sign that he had heard Yujhi, so the teen stepped up beside him, taking in a sharp breath when he saw the blood smearing Yugi's clothes. Much of the blood on his stomach and pants was his own, but blood was stain all over his jacket and shirt, a few splatters of blood hardening on the side of his face. He was sitting alone, surrounded by a pool of blood, which he gazed into with dead eyes. The Millennium Items lay nearby, scattered across the floor. "Yugi?" Yujhi reached out and tapped the spirit's shoulder lightly.

Yugi made no response, but just as Yujhi went to tap him again he spoke. "He just disappeared..." he said, his voice as dull and lifeless as his eyes. "When he expelled your powers his body could not sustain itself. It just... He just..." Yugi's voice cracked a little, but instead of continuing he swallowed hard and lowered his head, falling silent.

Yujhi frowned, unsure of what to say. Who was gone? The spirit? Wasn't that a good thing? He shook his head, _"I don't understand what's going on, but I better wait until Yugi's feeling better before asking him what happened."_ Holding a hand out to his yami, Yujhi spoke in the calmest voice he could. "Come on Yugi..." the spirit opened his eyes and turned to look a Yujhi's hand, "Let's get out of here."

Yugi stared at Yujhi's hand a moment longer, then closed his eyes, raising his own hand up. Yujhi took his yami's hand and helped him to his feet, inwardly sighing with relief. He was worried Yugi was going to refuse to leave. He pause, however, to retrieve the Millennium Items.

No one in the group spoke as they made their way out of the temple. Bakura had chosen to lead the group, Ryoura and Joe close behind him, followed by Steve and Ilia, while Yugi and Yujhi walked at a much slower pace at the back. Yugi kept stopping a looking back towards the stairs they had just climbed or the corridor they had just walked threw, but a small tug on his sleeve by Yujhi would quickly pull him back and he would begin to follow again. Steve had wrapped an arm around Ilia's shoulders, but though he desperately wished to ask if she was alright he dared not break the silence.

It took much longer then any of the group had expected to reach the entrance of the temple, but they had been running coming in, and they had not had to stop for rest on their way in either. As soon as the sun struck their skin, most of the group could not help but smile. They were truly out of the temple now, leaving all the danger behind.

Bakura took a deep breath as he reached the top of the kill leading away from the temple, enjoying the fresh air after spending hours underground, then turned to face the group. "We should make our way to the nearest town." "Ya," Steve nodded in agreement, blinking hard to try and adjust to the brightness of the desert sun, "We need to get to a hospital and have our injuries checked."

"And food sounds really good right now..." Joe slurred, blinking blearily.

Ryoura looked to his blonde friend and frowned. Unlike the rest of the group, Joe did not have magic, so he must have lost a lot more strength than them. If the rest of the group were tired, Joe was exhausted. "Pepper, is there a quicker way to get to the city than riding on horses?" he hadn't realised until he'd spoken just how tired he was; his voice was slurred and a little hoarse.

Bakura smiled slightly to himself. Pepper. Ryoura only called him Bakura when times were serious or dangerous, or Ryoura was worried or scared. Clearly he felt much more relaxed now. "I could create a portal to the last city we visited."

As most of the group began to gather what few belongings they had and find the horses they had been using, Yugi turned and made his way back towards the temple. Worried, Yujhi turned and ran after him, but almost collided with his yami when he stopped at the edge of the crevasse of sand the temple was situated in. Raising his hand Yugi shut his eyes, and a soft glow of golden light surrounded his hand. The wind around Yujhi's feet picked up, and grains of sand began to be blown into the crevasse. As the winds picked up Yugi took a step back, as did Yujhi. He continued to step back as the winds increased, throwing tons of sand down into the crevasse and burying the temple slowly. Within a few minutes the winds died abruptly, and before the Puzzle Guardians was a perfectly flat area of sand.

_"It's gone,"_ Yujhi almost sighed with relief, then blinked as Yugi walked forward. "Yugi?" he called, jogging up next to his yami. "What's the matter? Where are you going?" Yugi didn't answer, he just continued to walk, then stopped abruptly. Raising his hand again he faced his palm down towards the sand. A ball of light appeared in his palm, then dropped and sunk into the sand. The grains of sand shimmered oddly for a moment, then dulled, returning to normal. Yujhi looked at his yami questioningly.

Yugi glanced up at Yujhi, reading his expression instantly, and returned his gaze to the sand. "We have to come back."

"What!" Yujhi was surprised by his own outburst, but quickly ignored the edge of embarrassment in his mind. "You want to come _back_ here? Are you crazy! I never want to come back here again!"

"We have to," Yugi said calmly, turning and making his way back to the group.

"But why?" Yujhi ran up to Yugi's side, "If you had to come back then why burry the temple again?"

"So no one else finds it." Yugi answered simply, still not looking at his light.

"But-"

"Yujhi," Yugi stopped and turned to face his light, "There is nothing left to fear here, and in truth their is little here that I _want_ to return to. But I have a destiny to fulfil, and for the good of the entire world, I _must_ return."

"For the good of the world?" Yujhi frowned, confused.

Yugi shook his head, "I will explain later. I have to talk to Bakura about his Millennium Ring before I can explain everything, anyway." A ripple of magic drew his attention back to the group. Bakura had creased a swirling portal before them, and they were all looking at it with both interest and caution. "It's time to leave."

Yujhi opened his mouth, as if to asked more questions, but seemed to decide against it. He followed Yugi back to the group, who were all glancing at each other nervously.

Bakura rolled his eyes and gestured to the portal. "Would you prefer to walk?" the groups eyes widened and he nodded, "Thought so. Now get moving."

One by one the group walked through the swirling portal, disappearing as if it was a doorway of light. The horses caused less trouble then they had feared, strolled through the portal without so much as flinching. Unlike Joe, who jump back and forth every time he touch the cool fabric of magic until Steve shoved him through.

Bakura stood beside the portal and watched each person go through, surprised when he realised one was missing. Looking over he spotted Yugi looking back in the direction of the temple and frowned. Sighing he stepped in front of the portal and glanced back, "Two minutes. I'm closing the portal whether you're through or not."

Yugi nodded and took a deep breath as Bakura stepped through the portal, held it, then let it out. A fiery pain shot through him and his face twisted in pain. _"Yami said it would hurt..."_ he reminded himself, then raised his gaze to the area where the temple had been. The flat sand was quickly being thrown out of shape, making the area look no different to the rest of the desert around it. Taking another deep breath Yugi spun on his heal and walked quickly towards the portal.

_"Two weeks... Just two weeks..."_

Yugi stepped through the portal, a wave of coolness drifting over his skin. He allowed his arm drift back and absorb the magic holding the portal open. When he had stepped out into a dark alley the portal quickly shrunk to the size of a tennis ball, then disappeared entirely. Steve and Ryoura were the only members of the group not there, and for a moment Yugi was worried something had happened, but then he spotted them with the horses in the street by the alley.

"What took you Yugi?" Joe asked, yawning.

Ilia looked back from her place near the alley's entrance and the mention of Yugi's name, "Are you alright?"

The Puzzle guardian nodded, "Yes, I'm fine."

"Well then can we go look for a pizza or something?" Ryoura called into the alley, "I'm _starving_!"

The group gathered together out in the streets once Bakura ensured Yugi had completely destroyed the portal, then made their way towards the hospital. It wasn't long before the teens began chatting noisily, avoiding any mention of the action they had faced in the passed few days save to ask Ryoura if the cut in his arm was all right. At then mention of the injury Bakura had instantly made his way to Ryoura's side and placed his hand on it to check it.

"It's _fine_," Ryoura protested, poking Bakura's hand to try and get him to let go.

But Bakura just shook his head, allowing a little magic to examine the injury, "If the sand gets into it you could get an infection."

"Wah, mommy's all worried," Ryoura said in a baby voice, pouting. The others laughed and Ryoura grinned at Bakura as his yami glared at him, "What? you mean mommy's not worried?"

Yugi felt a sting in his heart at the sound of the groups laughter.

_"How am I going to tell them?"_

* * *

To Be Continued

* * *

One more chapter, then an epilogue. Aww, tis nearly over...  
Really sorry for the serious anti-climax where the dark spirit was defeated. I tried to make it interesting, but either I read it to much or I didn't succeed. Sorry -sweatdrops- Hope it was some bit interesting anyway.  
Please review peeps, t'would be much appreciated **XD**  
Slán slán till next time!  
Bay Bay!  
Bayleef 


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